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The Final Witness – Beneath the Altar Review
By Angry Metal Guy
By: Nameless_n00b_607
In a genre long since matured, a common way to avoid retreads is to combine multiple subgenres.1 Contemporary thrash in particular is difficult to get right without the proper guitar assault required to break necks. Hence, many opt to go for one of its offshoots instead. One newcomer looking to explore the avenue of genre blending is The Final Witness, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Josh Henderson. Debut Beneath the Altar promises to deliver death and thrash in progressive form to the unwashed masses. I dove into Beneath the Altar with caution, having seen how often this combination of terms gets misused, but hoping The Final Witness would fulfill its promise.
Inspired guitar work and appropriate variety are the main strengths of The Final Witness. The majority of Beneath the Altar involves two core components: progressive thrash (“Coronation,” “The Blood”) and death/thrash (“Sanctum of the Holy”). Plentiful melodic leads further color the album, with “Testimony” even evoking the Gothenburg sound. Lastly, quieter semi-acoustic passages bridge these individual pieces together with varied levels of success. The compositions are vivid and frenetic, alternating between traditional breakneck drumming and rhythmic trickery. Henderson’s distorted vocals lack a bit of thrash attitude, but they do a fine job of punctuating the compositions with barks and snarls. Beneath the Altar’s best moments take inspiration from Coroner and Vader, and I wish those moments were much more frequent, because the sound leans a bit too close towards the groove school of guitar chugging on occasion (“Negative World,” “Principalities”). Nevertheless, the foundation of the album holds, and Henderson’s performances are impressive.
Beneath the Altar’s experimental side comes at the expense of its strengths. On top of the album’s bread and butter, most tracks differentiate themselves with eccentricities. For example, the title track’s electronic break with an almost hip-hop-like beat is memorable and surprisingly well-made, but it doesn’t exactly fit. “Testimony” ends with a dramatic organ layer that could sound excellent if the mix didn’t turn it into an ear-piercing inconvenience. Many of these one-off gimmicks are fun, but they are either misused or discarded before leaving an impact. Worse, they are a distraction. Beneath the Altar really shines when exploring the rhythmic and melodic sides of death/thrash. Diverging from this path trades depth for breadth; a tighter track like “Sanctum of the Holy” proves that The Final Witness would only benefit from holding onto a theme for longer.
The disparate ideas of Beneath the Altar are greater than the sum of their parts. Its foundational pillars work wonders individually, but interact too infrequently, and one-off experimental touches are fun but out of place. The somber semi-acoustic parts—while well done—hinder song flow when utilized too frequently (“Principalities”) and blend together after multiple listens. Good ideas feel haphazardly assembled. The foregoing is exacerbated by its production, overseen by Jason Wisdom of Becoming the Archetype. The sound is both sterile and rough, with Wisdom prioritizing guitars over vocals and drums—both of which are loud and distracting. Its qualities conjure a strange illusion of metalcore adjacency, further contributing to the album’s incoherent identity. All that being said, I don’t mind listening to Beneath the Altar again. There’s a lot to like, and a brief 36-minute runtime makes sure the record doesn’t overstay its welcome. Yet I feel more compelled to revisit individual parts of songs rather than any particular song in full.
Beneath the Altar is an interesting but unfocused prototype. Getting a solo project this far is already respectable, but I reckon Mr. Henderson is still capable of much more. With more coherent composition and a unified vision, the ideas on this record could form a powerful message. There are exciting bits and pieces here to digest, even if they don’t necessarily form a cohesive whole, and the result is that Beneath the Altar feels like a starting point for better things to come. But for the time being, The Final Witness is still trying to find its sound—and I find myself craving some Coroner instead.
Rating: Mixed
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR MP3
Label: Rottweiler Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Release Date: August 15th, 2025#25 #2025 #AmericanMetal #Aug25 #BecomingTheArchetype #BeneathTheAltar #Coroner #DeathThrash #ProgressiveThrashMetal #Review #RottweilerRecords #TheFinalWitness #ThrashMetal #Vader
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The Final Witness – Beneath the Altar Review
By Angry Metal Guy
By: Nameless_n00b_607
In a genre long since matured, a common way to avoid retreads is to combine multiple subgenres.1 Contemporary thrash in particular is difficult to get right without the proper guitar assault required to break necks. Hence, many opt to go for one of its offshoots instead. One newcomer looking to explore the avenue of genre blending is The Final Witness, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Josh Henderson. Debut Beneath the Altar promises to deliver death and thrash in progressive form to the unwashed masses. I dove into Beneath the Altar with caution, having seen how often this combination of terms gets misused, but hoping The Final Witness would fulfill its promise.
Inspired guitar work and appropriate variety are the main strengths of The Final Witness. The majority of Beneath the Altar involves two core components: progressive thrash (“Coronation,” “The Blood”) and death/thrash (“Sanctum of the Holy”). Plentiful melodic leads further color the album, with “Testimony” even evoking the Gothenburg sound. Lastly, quieter semi-acoustic passages bridge these individual pieces together with varied levels of success. The compositions are vivid and frenetic, alternating between traditional breakneck drumming and rhythmic trickery. Henderson’s distorted vocals lack a bit of thrash attitude, but they do a fine job of punctuating the compositions with barks and snarls. Beneath the Altar’s best moments take inspiration from Coroner and Vader, and I wish those moments were much more frequent, because the sound leans a bit too close towards the groove school of guitar chugging on occasion (“Negative World,” “Principalities”). Nevertheless, the foundation of the album holds, and Henderson’s performances are impressive.
Beneath the Altar’s experimental side comes at the expense of its strengths. On top of the album’s bread and butter, most tracks differentiate themselves with eccentricities. For example, the title track’s electronic break with an almost hip-hop-like beat is memorable and surprisingly well-made, but it doesn’t exactly fit. “Testimony” ends with a dramatic organ layer that could sound excellent if the mix didn’t turn it into an ear-piercing inconvenience. Many of these one-off gimmicks are fun, but they are either misused or discarded before leaving an impact. Worse, they are a distraction. Beneath the Altar really shines when exploring the rhythmic and melodic sides of death/thrash. Diverging from this path trades depth for breadth; a tighter track like “Sanctum of the Holy” proves that The Final Witness would only benefit from holding onto a theme for longer.
The disparate ideas of Beneath the Altar are greater than the sum of their parts. Its foundational pillars work wonders individually, but interact too infrequently, and one-off experimental touches are fun but out of place. The somber semi-acoustic parts—while well done—hinder song flow when utilized too frequently (“Principalities”) and blend together after multiple listens. Good ideas feel haphazardly assembled. The foregoing is exacerbated by its production, overseen by Jason Wisdom of Becoming the Archetype. The sound is both sterile and rough, with Wisdom prioritizing guitars over vocals and drums—both of which are loud and distracting. Its qualities conjure a strange illusion of metalcore adjacency, further contributing to the album’s incoherent identity. All that being said, I don’t mind listening to Beneath the Altar again. There’s a lot to like, and a brief 36-minute runtime makes sure the record doesn’t overstay its welcome. Yet I feel more compelled to revisit individual parts of songs rather than any particular song in full.
Beneath the Altar is an interesting but unfocused prototype. Getting a solo project this far is already respectable, but I reckon Mr. Henderson is still capable of much more. With more coherent composition and a unified vision, the ideas on this record could form a powerful message. There are exciting bits and pieces here to digest, even if they don’t necessarily form a cohesive whole, and the result is that Beneath the Altar feels like a starting point for better things to come. But for the time being, The Final Witness is still trying to find its sound—and I find myself craving some Coroner instead.
Rating: Mixed
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR MP3
Label: Rottweiler Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Release Date: August 15th, 2025#25 #2025 #AmericanMetal #Aug25 #BecomingTheArchetype #BeneathTheAltar #Coroner #DeathThrash #ProgressiveThrashMetal #Review #RottweilerRecords #TheFinalWitness #ThrashMetal #Vader
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The Final Witness – Beneath the Altar Review
By Baguette of Bodom
In a genre long since matured, a common way to avoid retreads is to combine multiple subgenres.1 Contemporary thrash in particular is difficult to get right without the proper guitar assault required to break necks. Hence, many opt to go for one of its offshoots instead. One newcomer looking to explore the avenue of genre blending is The Final Witness, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Josh Henderson. Debut Beneath the Altar promises to deliver death and thrash in progressive form to the unwashed masses. I dove into Beneath the Altar with caution, having seen how often this combination of terms gets misused, but hoping The Final Witness would fulfill its promise.
Inspired guitar work and appropriate variety are the main strengths of The Final Witness. The majority of Beneath the Altar involves two core components: progressive thrash (“Coronation,” “The Blood”) and death/thrash (“Sanctum of the Holy”). Plentiful melodic leads further color the album, with “Testimony” even evoking the Gothenburg sound. Lastly, quieter semi-acoustic passages bridge these individual pieces together with varied levels of success. The compositions are vivid and frenetic, alternating between traditional breakneck drumming and rhythmic trickery. Henderson’s distorted vocals lack a bit of thrash attitude, but they do a fine job of punctuating the compositions with barks and snarls. Beneath the Altar’s best moments take inspiration from Coroner and Vader, and I wish those moments were much more frequent, because the sound leans a bit too close towards the groove school of guitar chugging on occasion (“Negative World,” “Principalities”). Nevertheless, the foundation of the album holds, and Henderson’s performances are impressive.
Beneath the Altar’s experimental side comes at the expense of its strengths. On top of the album’s bread and butter, most tracks differentiate themselves with eccentricities. For example, the title track’s electronic break with an almost hip-hop-like beat is memorable and surprisingly well-made, but it doesn’t exactly fit. “Testimony” ends with a dramatic organ layer that could sound excellent if the mix didn’t turn it into an ear-piercing inconvenience. Many of these one-off gimmicks are fun, but they are either misused or discarded before leaving an impact. Worse, they are a distraction. Beneath the Altar really shines when exploring the rhythmic and melodic sides of death/thrash. Diverging from this path trades depth for breadth; a tighter track like “Sanctum of the Holy” proves that The Final Witness would only benefit from holding onto a theme for longer.
The disparate ideas of Beneath the Altar are greater than the sum of their parts. Its foundational pillars work wonders individually, but interact too infrequently, and one-off experimental touches are fun but out of place. The somber semi-acoustic parts—while well done—hinder song flow when utilized too frequently (“Principalities”) and blend together after multiple listens. Good ideas feel haphazardly assembled. The foregoing is exacerbated by its production, overseen by Jason Wisdom of Becoming the Archetype. The sound is both sterile and rough, with Wisdom prioritizing guitars over vocals and drums—both of which are loud and distracting. Its qualities conjure a strange illusion of metalcore adjacency, further contributing to the album’s incoherent identity. All that being said, I don’t mind listening to Beneath the Altar again. There’s a lot to like, and a brief 36-minute runtime makes sure the record doesn’t overstay its welcome. Yet I feel more compelled to revisit individual parts of songs rather than any particular song in full.
Beneath the Altar is an interesting but unfocused prototype. Getting a solo project this far is already respectable, but I reckon Mr. Henderson is still capable of much more. With more coherent composition and a unified vision, the ideas on this record could form a powerful message. There are exciting bits and pieces here to digest, even if they don’t necessarily form a cohesive whole, and the result is that Beneath the Altar feels like a starting point for better things to come. But for the time being, The Final Witness is still trying to find its sound—and I find myself craving some Coroner instead.
Rating: Mixed
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s CBR MP3
Label: Rottweiler Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Release Date: August 15th, 2025#25 #2025 #AmericanMetal #Aug25 #BecomingTheArchetype #BeneathTheAltar #Coroner #DeathThrash #ProgressiveThrashMetal #Review #RottweilerRecords #TheFinalWitness #ThrashMetal #Vader
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By Carcharodon
15 years ago, on May 19, 2009, Angry Metal Guy spoke. For the very first time as AMG. And he had opinions: Very Important Opinions™. The post attracted relatively little attention at the time, but times change and, over the decade and a half since then, AMG Industries has grown into the blog you know today. Now with a staff of around 25 overrating overwriters (and an entirely non-suspicious graveyard for writers on permanent, all-expenses-paid sabbaticals), we have written more than 9,100 posts, comprising over seven million words. Over the site’s lifetime, we’ve had more than 107 million visits and now achieve well over a million hits each and every month. Through this, we’ve built up a fantastic community of readers drawn from every corner of the globe, whom we have (mostly) loved getting to know in the more than 360,000 comments posted on the site.
We have done this under the careful (if sternly authoritarian) stewardship of our eponymous leader Angry Metal Guy and his iron enforcer, Steel Druhm, while adhering to strict editorial policies and principles. We have done this by simply offering honest (and occasionally brutal) takes, and without running a single advert or taking a single cent from anyone. Ever. Mistakes have undoubtedly been made and we may be a laughing stock in the eyes of music intellectuals, socialites and critics everywhere but we are incredibly proud of what AMG Industries represents. In fact, we believe it may be the best metal blog, with the best community of readers, on the internet.
Now join us as the people responsible for making AMG a reality reflect on what the site means to them and why they would willingly work for a blog that pays in the currency of deadlines, abuse, and hobo wine. Welcome to the 15th Birthdaynalia.
Thou Shalt Have No Other Blogs!
Steel Druhm
AMG and me
I stumbled into the world of AMG Inc. by chance, one day in early 2010 and just never got around to leaving. To put a finer point on it, I’ve been slaving in the AMG salt mines so long, even the extremely sabbaticalized Happy Metal Guy thinks my mind is gone. Over time, I’ve evolved from unpaid assistant to the Founding Overlord Himself to become site overseer and brvtal enforcer of deadlines, and morale (still unpaid). The journey has been a wild one, full of moments I’ll always cherish. It’s also introduced me to a collection of loveable oddballs I care about, even though I want to murderize them most of the time (you would too if you had to deal with their outrageous bullshit daily).1
The site and the extensive work that goes into it have provided me with a satisfaction that my real job often lacks, and even helped me find my soulmate. In short, AMG means the world to me and that’s why I’ve given so much of myself to this little blog these last 14 years. Looking back, I regret nothing (except the staff’s penchant for wildly overrating complete garbage) and I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. Thank you to the writers past and present who helped make the site possible, and thanks to the readers who make it worth the effort, even though most of you are woefully deficient in the good taste department. Here’s to 15 more years of this burning shitshow of a trainwreck!
AMG gave to me
As I’ve been a part of AMG since the early days, it’s nearly impossible to come up with just three albums the site gave me because it’s given me so many. Instead, I’ll enumerate the biggest non-musical gifts AMG has bestowed upon me over the years.2
Madam X // Be My (Pri)Mate / Down with the Steelness – The best thing AMG gave me by far was the chance to meet my best friend, soulmate and life partner, Madam X. She had read some of my early reviews for AMG and by chance, we happened to run into each other on a now-defunct Facebook metal fan page. She reached out to discuss my reviews and get some recommendations, we started chatting, and the rest, as they say, is history. I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have her and, since she lived in South Africa and I in New York, I highly doubt we ever would have found one another were it not for AMG. For this reason alone, I’ll cherish this little blog until my rusty metal heart explodes in my hairy ape chest. Fun fact: I never had a girlfriend that liked metal, and now I have a wife who listens to stuff that’s so extreme and out there, I end up sounding like my parents and saying shit like “This isn’t music, it’s just crazy noise!” Life is funny sometimes.
The Sadistic Pleasure that Comes from Unicorning Kvlt Strangeo Bands // You Axed for It – One cold, gloomy day back in February 2015, I was reviewing a cold, gloomy release by Danish doom/death act Dwell. Their Vermin and Ashes album didn’t especially thrill me, and I was annoyed that they had opted not to include a band photo in the promo materials. Sure, I get it. They wanted to be dark and mysterious. Who doesn’t? I searched online for a suitable image of them but there were none to be found. I became quite vexed. Where the inspiration came from I cannot say but I decided to bestow upon them a bright, mega-cheesy unicorn image, in place of the non-existent band shot. As I contemplated how the vomit of rainbow colors clashed with the murky gray malaise of the album cover, it looked so wrong that it felt so right! And so a blog protocol was born. Send band photos or face extreme unicorn judgment!
The Joys of Initiating Unsuspecting n00bs into the AMG Meatgrinder // Taste the Skull Pit, Poser – When I joined AMG back in its embryonic, protoplasmic stage, there was no probationary period or brutal abuse (aside from assigning me metalcore albums). Things changed as the blog grew and we started bringing on new writers. Soon, a system of impressment, indoctrination and re-education was put in place, and ruthlessly weaponized in service of internet “fame” and “glory.” Each carefully selected wannabe writer, eyes glistening with the ghosts of their past, would serve a tumultuous probationary term, working in complete isolation under the iron thumbs of AMG management. If they somehow survived this experiment in terror, they would be cast into the general population in the Skull Pit, with a besotted cadre of jaded, glassy-eyed veteran staffers. That’s when the real initiation would begin! Imagine Lord of the Flies mixed with The Hunger Games and The Devil’s Rejects, and you get the general idea. Through ritualized humiliation, unreasonable deadlines, and confrontational teaching methods, we slowly transform these sniveling amateurs into barely functional hack reviewers. Believe in the system or be buried by it me.
I wish I had written …
White Wizzard – The Devil’s Cut Review. Yes, the infamous review that’s hung around our necks like a rotting albatross ever since it saw the light of day in 2013. Had I been tasked with doing the review, I would have given it the rating it truly deserved, which is a big, fat, greasy 3.0. Just like the album that came before, and the one that followed. Now, I have nothing against White Wizzard and I enjoy the retro 80s metal style they play, but let’s face it, nothing they ever did came anywhere near a 5.0 (whether in its “Perfect” or “Iconic” guise). My common sense, real-world review would have spared us all a great deal of embarrassment, as well as saving the effort and bleach it took to scrub the office down after the First Grand Sabbaticaling. If only…
I wish I could do over …
Amon Amarth – Sutur Rising Review. As a relatively new reviewer, I got the unexpected chance to weigh in on a new Amon Amarth platter, while I was at the peak of my feverish AA fanboyism. This proved a deadly combination and, before my better angels could caution restraint and moderation, I stamped this thing with a 4.5, and got the album cover tattooed on my dog. With time (and much hobo wine), I realized that I let the moment get the better of me. Despite the presence of a few killer cuts like “War of the Gods” and “Destroyer of the Universe,” Sutur Rising is far from Amon Amarth’s best work. I dutifully submitted a groveling apology in a Contrite Metal Guy piece and tried to move on with my life. 13 years on, this one still stands as my biggest rating misadventure and a source of bitter regret. I blame society (AKA: you, the reader).
I wish more people had read …
Retro-spective Review: Hall Aflame – Guaranteed Forever. The side project of Metal Church’s Kurdt Vanderhoof, Hall Aflame saw but one release in 1991. But what a party this thing was and still is! Adopting a style somewhere between The Cult and The Four Horsemen, Hall Aflame roar through a collection of wildly catchy, burly rockers, making for a highly replay-able album, with only occasional reminders it’s made by the brain behind Metal Church. Cuts like “Shake the Pain,” Child of Medicine,” and “Money” are absolute monsters, and “Another Heartbeat” is one of my favorite songs of all time across all genres. The hugely ass-kicking vocals by completely unknown (then and now) frontman Ron Lowd alone are worth the effort it will take to track down this rare gem. The world continues to sleep on this killer, as evidenced by my retro-spective review scoring exactly ZERO comments. Don’t let this injustice continue. You need to hear this thing, especially with the recent news that Vanderhoof is releasing the long-awaited (by me at least) follow-up in May. You have my word as a Viking ape that satisfaction is Guaranteed Forever.
AMG is Now a Good Capitalist! In this gap-filler post from 2015, I posited the concept of AMG building a merch empire based upon goods of questionable quality (see our branded Uni-Friend and Sabbatical Sausage Maker pictured above). It got reads but, since I found the concept amusing, I wanted MOAR clicks. I credit this piece with motivating me to finally get a batch of actual AMG t-shirts printed up for the undeserving staff. If you see someone wearing one of these rare treasures and kill them, you take their place in the Skull Pit forevermore. It’s just like The Santa Clause, but much, much worse.
Dr. A.N. Grier
AMG and me
Back in the day, we’d be lucky to get two reviews a day at AMG. This led to me refreshing the site every few hours hoping for a bonus review for the day.3 I was obsessed with the writing and these gems I would never have found otherwise. Before I began writing here, I would do that regularly from 2010-2011. One morning I left the lab of my failing start-up and walked into my office to do some work. The post that morning wasn’t a review. Instead, it was instructions on how to apply to be an AMG writer. Without thinking—because I’d been up for roughly 40 straight hours—I submitted a review of 1349’s lackluster Demonoir. Weeks later, I was a n00b in these decrepit halls. And I’m still here regretting that decision, almost ten years to the day since I submitted my first review. It’s funny, now that I’ve gathered everything for this piece, that I found those early days the fondest of times. Those days when I still loved the writers, the readers, writing about metal, and well… music. Now I’m a broken soul, stalking the halls as a sex-depraved ghost,4 avoiding eye contact with Steel because his ape eyes make my pants tight.
But, in all seriousness, it’s been a wild ride and it’s odd to be one of the lucky few who have contributed to two-thirds of AMG’s existence. I’m proud to have kept the output so rounded, delivering correct scores and takes, and providing X-rated content for the younger generations. So, join me in celebrating AMG’s birthday, as I travel back to those early years when I became part of the family and discovered records that shaped the man known, for today at least, as Dr. All. Nostalgic. Grier.
AMG gave to me …
Mors Principium Est // Dawn of the 5th Era – As a n00b, Angry Metal Guy‘s review of Mors Principium Est’s Dawn of the 5th Era made me realize two things: I needed this band in my life and never release an album in December. Thankfully, AMG caught it (while everyone else was busting their asses to write their year-end lists) because it’s a stunning achievement. From that point on, I consider myself one of MPE’s biggest fans. That continuation of the At the Gates sound results in incredible performances and riff after massive riff. Not a single song on this album goes stale and I’ve been listening to it regularly for ten fucking years. I can never seem to find a melodeath group whose entire catalog I march through from beginning to end.5 But MPE is one of them. And, because you might be wondering, … And Death Said Live is their best album.
Voices // London – Back in 2014, I ranked an album I never reviewed. Weird, right? Not only was it a great album, but it was one of my favorite reviews from the illustrious Jean-Luc Ricard, who opened his thoughts with: “If you’re anything like me, you’re super awesome.” Still makes me laugh my ass off. Beyond that, Ricard conveyed the absolute nightmare that you experience when you listen to London. Though Akercocke has since reunited, Voices was an incredible substitute, which takes you through a journey that, somehow, Ricard was able to describe; because I sure as hell can’t. I was doing an oil change on my truck the first time I span it. Never have I taken so long to do that work but I constantly found myself staring off into space, literally frightened by the sounds erupting in my ears. The band has never been able to top London, but that’s OK. It’s one of the beautiful aspects of music—it’s permanent and will be there forever when you need it.
Trials // This Ruined World – When I joined AMG and worked side-by-side with Dr. Fisting, we hit it off. I love the guy and consider him a close friend (though he might not feel the same). When I found out that he started a band called Trials, I had to check it out. With two decent albums under his belt, 2014 saw the release of Trials’ best—and final—album, This Ruined World. I was hooked. And to imagine that without knowing about this band or this person, I might never have experienced his work in Bear Mace and the (to me, at least) incredible Black Sites. Though I don’t return to Trials often, mostly because I can’t pull myself away from Fisting‘s current work, I have a special place in my heart for This Ruined World. It introduced me to a fantastic musician and a good friend.
I wish I had written …
Origin – Omnipresent Review. When you join the crew, the hope is that you get to write that review for a big band. Those bands you grew up with, that released something at that point in your life, or which have such popularity that every other site overrates them. But, at AMG, you kinda have to earn that. Unless it’s, somehow, a popular dungeon synth group; you can just have that. So, when my most-anticipated album of 2014 dropped, I wanted it. But, there wasn’t a chance in hell I would get my hands on Origin’s Omnipresent. I bet you didn’t know I liked tech death, much less Origin. But, I do. I just know there are other, more qualified writers to cover that material. Thankfully, our wise and wonderful Kronos scored it correctly and wrote a fantastic review that describes it perfectly. Since then, I haven’t been as enamored with their material (mostly because this place has turned me into a hateful prick), but that album holds up and still gets many a spin.
I wish I could do over …
Resumed – Alienation Review. I remember when the review for Resumed’s Alienations was published. It was Thanksgiving 2014 and I was already six sheets to the wind when I realized what I was reading: the first double review in AMG history. It wasn’t a record that merited a double but Steel fucked up and double-booked it, thereby unintentionally beginning a trend. Though I couldn’t believe I wasted my time on this thing6 and subjected myself to uncalled-for ridicule, it started one of our most popular segments. Hell, it even led to our Unsigned Band Rodeö pieces. So, for better or worse (and by worse, I mean that year’s burned turkey), we can thank this worthless piece for contributing to AMG lore.
I wish more people had read …
Thine – The Dead City Blueprint [Things You Might Have Missed 2014]. In the process of writing the review for The Deathtrip’s stellar 2014 release, Deep Drone Master, Metal Archives led me to a release we never received. In walks Thine, a progressive rock outfit led by the same person who convinced Aldrahn to come back from retirement to front Deep Drone Master, not to mention drummer Dan Mullins, who returned for My Dying Bride’s newest release. Representing my first ever Things You Might Have Missed piece, I continue to return to this band’s swansong release: it’s beautiful and engaging, and is everything I ever wanted from an album of this caliber. My unpopularity as a n00b, combined with the new year beginning and everyone moving on to January releases, meant no one seemed to care. But I cared. I care so much, in fact, that I’m dropping Thine’s name again, in the hope that Bandcamp credits will be put to good use. You’re welcome.
Dr. Fisting
AMG and me
As a reader of the site’s earliest incarnation, the first thing that stood out to me was that AMG’s writers were clearly educated. Even back then, the reviews were extremely well-written. I don’t mean just in terms of spelling and grammar, but being able to express ideas coherently. If you’ve ever visited any other metal-related sites, you know that these qualities are rare. More importantly, AMG was clearly an independent operation, with no reliance on ad revenue or cozy relationships with record labels. This meant the site was free to post brutally honest reviews, which occasionally resulted in battles against the metal media’s narrative and even the fans themselves. I always enjoyed when some huge band would put out a half-assed album that got rave reviews everywhere else, and then the AMG writeup would take a well-deserved shit on it.
When I started writing for the site a couple of years later, I did my best to uphold those standards. Eventually, as my life and priorities changed, I chose to step back from reviewing to focus on other things. But it was an honor to ride with these guys for as long as I did. I got to review some fantastic records, talk shit about some terrible ones, and make some friends that I am still in contact with to this day.
AMG gave to me …
Pain of Salvation // Road Salt Pt. 1 – I don’t remember if I discovered this record from reading the site or from The Angry One Himself sending it to me (“here, you’ll like this”), but Road Salt Pt. 1 was a complete game-changer. At a time when I was completely bored of “modern metal” and its trappings, I related strongly to PoS’s new direction, in which chug riffs and rapping were replaced by analog ’70s tones and memorable songs. This record was in heavy rotation in the Fisting household, and became a significant influence on my own music.
Satan // Life Sentence – Having missed out on Satan’s original run, I was unaware of their comeback album until the AMG review heaped praise upon it. Lucky for me it did because Life Sentence is full of intelligent lyrics, clever riffs, and memorable hooks. The band has since made three more records, all of which have been varying degrees of excellent. More importantly, discovering Life Sentence sent me on a path to revisit the band’s earlier works, including the highly influential Court in the Act.
Anacrusis // Screams and Whispers – Anacrusis is another band I was completely oblivious to during their lifespan, but discovered much later via Grymm‘s excellent retrospective writeup. This album is incredibly ambitious for its time (1993), pushing thrash metal into new and more introspective territory. There are hints of industrial influence, occasional goth-y keyboards, and some very angular guitar work, even by 1990s standards. This is a classic record from metal’s lost years, and more people should hear it.
I wish I had written …
King’s X – Three Sides of One Review. Not to suggest that Huck didn’t do a fantastic job on the review, because he absolutely nailed it, but King’s X has held a special place in my cold black heart for many years. I should’ve been there for this. There is no good reason why I didn’t do this review (or the related Angry Metal Primer) other than my own laziness and poor time management. Life gets in the way sometimes. I wish I could do over … I regret nothing.
I wish more people had read …
Various reviews of Voivod and Failure albums. As several readers noticed, I made it a personal mission to preach the virtues of Voivod and Failure. I consider both bands to be absolutely brilliant and worthy of greater attention (particularly Failure, whom I suspect most AMG readers are unfamiliar with). I don’t know how many people read those reviews, but whatever that number is, it needed to be more.
#2024 #AMGTurns15 #AmonAmarth #Anacrusis #BlogPost #BlogPosts #Failure #HallAflame #KingsX #MorsPrincipiumEst #Origin #PainOfSalvation #Resumed #Satan #Thine #Trials #Voices #Voivod #WhiteWizzard
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Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- Review (Nintendo Switch)
Release Date: November 13, 2025 (North America)
Developers: Otomate
Publishers: Aksys Games
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)SYNOPSIS
A fairy-tale filled with love and fixation, woven together by those who carry the blood of the fairies. The story takes place in Grand Albion, a kingdom thriving under the rule of the fairy queen. It is toward the end of the 19th century, an era where light and shadow coexist.
Our heroine Aprose, having lost everything eight years ago, swore to take revenge on those responsible.
Now, 8 years have passed. Whilst hiding her identity, she begins her search for the truth as she works at a mansion belonging to a potential target for her vengeance. What secrets will she unearth upon her chance encounters with the distinguished noblemen who protect the kingdom? What path will she choose…?
And so begins the revenge tragedy of a girl bound by a hapless fate.
ART AND MUSIC
Director: Mao SekiScenario: Satomi Nakayama, Izumi Koizumi, Akira Natsuno, YuzukiArtist: Karin SuzushiroBGM: Jun Ichikawa (Main Composer), Yoshitake Wada (Sub), Hiroshi Akechi (Sub), Kaito Furukawa (Sub)OP Theme: Tastuya Yano (Composer), Tak Miyazawa (Arrangement), FRAM (Artist)ED Theme: Asaka (Artisit & Lyrics), Hiraoki Suzuki (Composer)Mistonia’s character designs were done by Japanese artist/illustrator Karin Suzuhiro, known for their work on otome games such as Cendrillon palikA and Meiji Haikara. They also previously worked as assisting-artist for titles like Norn9 and Charade Maniacs.
The chara-designs for Mistonia were stunning btw! Heck, I looooved them! There were so many different outfit variations too!🤩 Plus, I feel like the CGs really convey the characters’ emotions so well! I am beyond pleased! I also have a soft spot for this game’s OST, especially the BGMs. No surprise there, since it’s by the same studio behind Virche’s soundtrack! If you’re someone who’s also an otoge OST-enthusiast, Aksys Games offers a bundle that includes both the game and the soundtrack, so definitely grab that if you’re interested!
Voice Acting
Yuichiro Umehara as “Alfred Creswell” – Paschalia (Radiant Tale), Serge (Genso Manege), Kohei Minato (Sympathy Kiss), Benkei (Birushana), Canus Espada (Café Enchanté), Enishi (Jack Jeanne), Demento (Period Cube), Shingen Takeda (IkeSen), Sage (Nekopara Catboys Paradise), Rain (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Oochidori (Touken Ranbu)
Ryota Suzuki as “Lucas Sullivan” – Ash (Desperadrops), Koyo (9RIP), Ginnosuke (Him, the Smile and bloom), Yona (Tengoku Struggle), Kiito Minorikawa (Jack Jeanne), Trey Clover (TWST), Ink (Gunka Haita Neko), Caster (FGO), Mizuro Tamaki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Shuichiro Umeda as “Linus Ward” – Haiji Yu (Kazura Uta), Akira Tendou (Zoom100), Kanato Kamio (Star Melody), Hikaru (The Summer Hikaru Died), Jougorou Kobato (Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary), Sable (The Dawn of the Witch), Koga (9RIP Sequel), Mitsuki Oshino (UN:LOGICAL)
Atsushi Tamaru as “Edward Bernstein” – Ichigo Hitofuri (Touken Ranbu), Tenya Minami (Him, the Smile and bloom), Kasuga (Variable Barricade), Tsukioka Tsumugi (A3!), Kohei Natsume (Kitty Love), Semi Tokitaka (Dairoku), Azul Ashengrotto (TWST)
Jun Fukuyama as “Ascot Lindell” – Karatachi (Illusion of Itehari), Mizuchi (Hana Awase), Tomomori (Birushana), Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis), Mozu (BUSTFELLOWS), Goro Fujita (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Liberta (Arcana Famiglia), Rin (Togainu no Chi), Aido (Vampire Knight), Tokiwa Etsuya (Dairoku), Goke Kanimitsu (Touken Ranbu)
Shirai Yusuke as “John” – Scarecrow (BUSTAFELLOWS), Luciole (Genso Manege), Eltcreed Valentine (Steam Prison), Watson (London Detective Mysteria), Amemura Ramuda (Hypnosis Mic), Garu (NU:Carnival), Ars (Period Cube), Usui Masumi (A3!), Miki Hiraizumi (Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome), Tsuzumi (Ken ga Kimi)
Natsumi Fujiwara as “Oberon“ – Shiki Toono (Tsukihime), Matsushita Outa (AI Somnium Files), Soga Asuma (ANONYMOUS:CODE), Glinda (OVER REQUIEMZ)
Saki Fujita as “Tia” – Hibari Tojo (Variable Barricade), Hatsune Miku (Hatsune Miku: Project Diva), Ymir (Attack on Titan), Seiko Kimura (Danganropa 3), Ruri Hijiribe (Durarara!!), Basho (Senran Kagura Peach Ball)
Naomi Iida as “Goneril“ – Queen Victoria (Code Realize), Evelina (Even if Tempest), Tara (Haruka 7), Sakai Tadatsugu (Sengoku Hime), Miwa Asahina (Brothers Conflict), Renoman (Desert Kingdom) Otoha Amamiya (Hiiro no Kakera – Shin Tamayorihime Denshou)
Ikumi Hasegawa as “Lily Bernstein” – Erica (EPHEMERAL), Setsu (GNOSIA), Riho (Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage), Ulrica (The Legend of Heroes), Ciaccona (Wuthering Waves), Arcueid Brunestud (Tsukihime), Tsumugi Hibiki (Ready or Not!), Subaru (LACKGIRL), Ginka Shinomiya (GINKA)
CHARACTERS AND ROUTES
Mistonia has seven routes total: 6 LI routes and 1 Truth Route. The game lets you start with Alfred, Lucas, and Linus. After clearing two of the three starter routes, Edward and Ascot’s routes will unlock. Once you finish either Edward or Ascot’s, John’s route becomes available. And finally, after clearing John’s route, the truth route unlocks as the game’s finale.
A key aspect of Mistonia’s story is how it gradually unveils major plot points that shape the overarching “who’s who” mystery of the game when you play in a certain order. So, if you want to experience the game with its revelations unfolding from the lightest to the heaviest spoilers, I highly recommend following this route order: Alfred → Lucas → Linus → Edward → Ascot → John → Truth.
This play-order allows the story’s twists and (at the same time), mystery-building flow smoothly all the way to the finale. On a side note, the devs have also shared their own soft recommended route order, which is quite similar to the one above. If you decide to follow their version, I’d definitely advise caution, as Ascot’s route contains some of the biggest spoilers in the game leading up to John’s. So if you’re someone who prefers to save the major reveals for later, it’s worth keeping that in mind.
That said, if you don’t mind spoilers early on, feel free to play whichever routes you prefer, just remember that the game does have certain route restrictions, so some paths won’t be available right away.
Walkthroughs:
Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- . All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.
⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings Violence, murder, mass murder, village destruction, death, blood, classism, discrimination against poor people, sexual manipulation, manipulation, gaslighting, multiple sexual partners, NTR/partner being stolen.ALFRED CRESWELL
- workaholic, hot & 30 🤭
Alfred is one of the heads of the Five Houses of Grand Albion, specifically the Creswell House, and a descendant of Spriggan. He is serious, strict, and stoic. Always thinking one step ahead, he approaches every situation, and decision logically.
Alfred is probably the route you’ll want to start first in the game, as the core of his story focuses on the political tension between the Queen and the country’s citizens. In a way, it’s a good route that expands on the Common route’s world-building, as well as familiarizing you with the different issues at hand in Grand Albion and how they are addressed or well… ignored by their grand ruler, the Queen.
Depending on how invested you are in the game’s *political* plot here, you may or may not find this route a drag. Personally, though, I quite liked it! (And that’s coming from someone who usually hates political palavers in otome games). It’s probably because I enjoyed the romance and the back-and-forth between Alfred and Aprose, the heroine.
Alfred is extremely pragmatic and logical in everything he does (and he stays consistent like this throughout the game). He’s always the one with a contingency plan for every single thing, and this route really highlights that trait of his. It’s kind of amusing how this mirrors Aprose, who also sort of tends to make backup plans for everything. Their personalities really complement each other (me thinks), and it’s fun watching them constantly try to one-up each other (at least in Aprose’s POV).😆 On a side note, this is also a decent route that highlights the heroine’s drive for revenge.
⬇️ SpoilersMy high spot of this route was definitely how likable Aprose is as MC. This is probably the route where she comes across as rather snappish or brusque toward her LI. I mean, she still has her fiery moments in other routes and with other guys, but she really embodies being ‘rough around the edges’ here, with Alfred. Perhaps this dynamic comes from both of them having reserved personalities, which sometimes makes them struggle to express what they truly feel? Idk, but it’s cute! I like that their chemistry sometimes is like:
Alfred: You.. like me..?
Aprose: Ew, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. I like you! 😠I esp love how Aprose whacks Alfred to sleep because the dude insists on working even though he’s sick and overfatigued, lol.😭 I also loved the bonding moments between Aprose, Evelyn, and Charlotte here! 🥺 it’s nice seeing Aprose find girlfriends she can chit-chat with about matters of the heart!🥺
This route can go from interesting to cliche, but I didn’t hate it. It’s a decent route for starters!
LUCAS SULLIVAN
- tsundere 🥺
- best boi!🤧
Lucas is the expected head of the Sullivan House and a descendant of the Will-o’-Wisp.
He’s a peculiar pessimist who shows little interest in the political affairs of the Five Houses, and his desire is to only to become a purefae. Though he’s a noble, he detests political strife and speaks to others with a cold, detached tone. He does, however, show a kinder side to those he’s close to although he can also become quite belligerent.I freaking love this route! 😭 First of, tsun tsun Ryota Suzuki, is an auto-biased-by-default! (cackles) But I was really floored by how this one even surpassed my expectations. The romance was so stinking good! The way the scenario in this route naturally set up and built the relationship between Lucas and Aprose was so perfect. I think it’s also probably one of the few routes in this title where the MC and LI’s bond just naturally developed organically, instead of the story enforcing it.🥹
Lucas was also a really endearing character.🥺🤲 You can tell he’s always thinking of Aprose’s best interests. He’s sincere and kind, and even outside his route, he continues to support the heroine, even if he doesn’t always explicitly show it. His “Astray” End was also one of my favorite endings in this game for reasons! 🤭Definitely a great LI and a great route all around! 10/10 would replay it again!
⬇️ SpoilersI am in the clouds! Lucas is such an amazing LI! But the route itself was also pretty good, albeit predictable, but very enjoyable nonetheless! I loved the little story nuance where each of the servants at Bernstein Mansion were dispatched to the Sullivans one by one, only to come back either fired or they personally quit after 24 hours. 😂(laughs) Poor little Charlotte! It also made me cackle how Evelyn and Charlotte described Lucas to Aprose as some sort of deranged weirdo who yells and throws things at the wall in his lonesome. Like, damn, that’s a wild piece of work right there! Lmao.😂 (Not knowing that the real reason he does this is actually kind of heartbreaking.)🥲
Contrary to Alfred’s route, Aprose was also very different here with Lucas. Both men contributed to the murder of her family and the burning of her village. The only key difference is that Lucas was unconsciously manipulated by the Queen, while Alfred was fully aware of what he was doing when he cast the barrier that prevented the villagers from escaping. However, Alfred did it because it was the Queen’s direct order and he wanted to protect his house, showing his logical yet passive nature, willing to yield to a threat he had no leverage over. It makes sense, then, that Aprose was more lenient toward Lucas, who was essentially a puppet during the Eltbeak disaster, while Alfred had a choice but was forced to participate.
On the plus side, this route probably has one of the best romances in the game. I adore the little gestures of love, like Lucas giving her hand cream because he feels guilty about the housework she has to do in his mansion, or giving her leeway and free time under the guise of instructing her to “only do certain chores during the day,” awkwardly having her make tea for his “flighty visitors” (read: he doesn’t really have any), only for Aprose to stand in and drink the tea with him. It’s also hilarious how Aprose caught on to his little BS early on but decides to go with the flow anyway, because she enjoys his company too! Oh…my heart is full!😭
His bad ending, where he becomes a bit OOC and takes on the role of being Aprose’s wannabe lover while she’s married to Alfred, definitely clicked all my guilty pleasure 3P boxes! Like, what the heck, yes please!!🤤
P.S. The paint splatters on his sprite hands was such a nice detail!
LINUS WARD
- sunshine boy but….👀
- not a genki
- my actual stance on Linus
Linus is the next head of House Ward, descendants of the Cu Sith. He has such a bright and friendly personality that even his childhood friend, Edward describes him as someone who’s like a ray of sunshine. He’s deeply loyal to his clan and also devoted to the Queen, a trait inherited from his Cu Sith blood. Once he immerses himself with work, he tends to forget to sleep or eat. He still can’t seem to let go of his first love, and romance plays a passive role in his life.
Linus is another character who, by chance, I ended up really loving (to the point of brainrotting).😂 I honestly didn’t think I’d enjoy this LI as much, but here we are. It’s kind of interesting because, on the surface, Linus seems like your typical vibrant LI (cute, sweet, cheerful… you know the type!) But dont be fooled! His route brings a lot more to the table than you’d expect. Personally, this worked really well for me (hence my brainrotting lol), but I can definitely see how it might not land the same way for others. 👀 Also, Umeda, his VA was unbelievable! I hope we get to hear him voicing more otome LIs in the future!
⬇️ SpoilersLinus is…….. QUITE SCARY, ISN’T HE??? This route kind of lowkey bordered a bit on red flag territory. At first, you’d think he’s harmless with his labrador retriever energy, but nope! fake genki alert! He’s actually one of the most dangerous targets for Aprose because of his Cu Sith blood. Aprose even recognizes how sharp Linus is as a tactician. Even when she tried to play innocent after getting caught red-handed, he was still on to her like a hawk. And was never dissuaded on her feigning ignorance. What an interesting character! Tbh its his terrifying side that made me love him more.
I also really like that Aprose isn’t an airhead about the obvious things. Like the fact that she realizes she was Linus’s childhood friend right away, instead of the story dragging it out. She was also such a good critical thinker here, because after realizing how dangerous it was to deal with Linus and the Ward lackeys, she treads back for the time being and carefully rethinks her actions, and later on decided that the only way to get the upper hand on Linus was to use lust. OOOH SNAP! YES QUEEN GO SEDUCE YOUR MAN! The woman has balls of steel honestly!
I also didn’t think lovers-to-enemies was even a thing but I’VE COME TO LOVE THIS TROPE. I thought Linus’s route utilizes the trope pretty well that I was living for every heated exchange between Aprose and Linus all the way to the end.😂 This route just kept me awake! Ha!
My only complaint was that I don’t think they really banked on the tension between Aprose and Linus’s dynamic enough? I feel like they could’ve gotten away with it being more dramatic than it is, maybe commit to Linus’s red flag tendencies, cause his route had so much potential to go all the way. I just think this route needed a bit more oomph or a little more push on the angsty side to make it really satisfying, in my opinion. Still, I definitely enjoyed it more than most of the others!
Lastly, Linus totally pissed me off in other routes. Like, come on, my dude, get off the Queen’s ass! I get that it’s your Cu Sith blood talking, but gosh, don’t make me hate you man!😩
EDWARD BERNSTEIN
- soft
- daddy issues
Edward is the next head of House Bernstein, descendants of the Sylph. He’s honest and fair, refuses to conform to Grand Albion’s classist ideals, and always treats everyone as an equal. He believes that those with power should help those who lack the same privileges. Polite to everyone regardless of status, Edward also has a strong dislike for conflict.
This route was… maybe a little too all over the place, if I’m being honest. I didn’t dislike it, but at the same time, it wasn’t one of the stronger ones in terms of plot and narrative pacing. Aprose, wasn’t at her best here either. Unlike in previous routes, her drive for revenge was more toned down, and perhaps it’s influenced by Edward’s kind-hearted nature?
Speaking of which, what really redeems this route for me is Edward himself. What a soft and genuinely kind-hearted guy! I could never bring myself to dislike him. Plus, his VA is one of my comfort seiyuus!🥺 Some might find him too vanilla or boring, but I just love how level-headed and consistently kind he is (maybe even a little too kind). Edward’s story also unravels some key pieces of the game, so I appreciated the reveals thrown in here as well. I’d definitely do this route first before Ascot’s, otherwise, Edward’s plot-revelations won’t have as much impact.
⬇️ SpoilersUnlike the previous routes, where there’s a thread of tension stemming from Aprose’s drive for revenge against her LI, Edward’s route feels kind of different, in a sense that he actively tries to prevent Aprose from being consumed by her revenge, sharing her burden in a positive way and helping her heal. I liked this approach actually and I thought it was very true to Edward’s character. I just wished this theme had been executed a bit better. The last chapters of Ed’s route just had a lot of things happening that its easy to miss important details due to that. The story however, does give you enough space to process each plot point before the next twist or reveal happen so I guess there’s also that.
GOOD ENDING: I cackled when Aprose called out her son, but also said she’s preggy with another baby! Like DAYUMMM BRO! It’s only been 3 years (?) BUT EDWARD SURE GOT TO BUSINESS RIGHT AWAY! LOL
As for Aprose getting her revenge, it’s actually in Edward’s bad end that things get juicy! Idk about you, but as a Linus enjoyer, I looooove Edward’s ‘astray’ end (bad end). It’s Linus who helps Aprose exact her revenge on Edward and eventually the Queen. Thinking back, it was also Linus who helps Aprose execute her revenge in HIS OWN bad end too! Now, isnt he just perfectly consistent with his role as a “hound”? Ha!
For Edmund and his backstory… Look, I can admit the dude’s a hot DILF, okay! I even liked how deranged and delulu he is with his obsession over Aprose’s mom. But man, he’s such a classist and a bootlicker to the Queen, which is definitely a turn-off. I didnt liked him at all. The way he treats Edward, his own son, is completely reprehensible! What an absolute trash.
ASCOT LINDELL
- “i can fix him”
- Ascot McRaunchy Lindell
- literally puts the ass in Ascot
Ascot is the representative head of House Lindell, descendants of the Puca. A handsome young man with a reputation as a womanizer in high society. A lot of women flock to him and want his company. Despite his responsibilities as head of his house, he does as he pleases and, most of the time, comes across as unserious.
I… don’t know how I feel about Ascot, tbh. He is an a$$cot for sure! Admittedly, I started this route with a grin on my face. Like dead serious, who could resist Fukujun’s eccentric teasings, hmm? But that grin almost instantly turned into furrowed brows because this route was an absolute hot mess!🔥🗑️👌
For one, (after clearing his story) I could kind of see what the writers were going for here (read spoilers to expound this point). But something about how the route was written, paced, and pieced together just completely threw me off. By the end, I couldn’t take Ascot’s route seriously. I mean, I didn’t hate it, and I still enjoyed all its absurdities if anything. I guess it’s one of those routes that’s so bad, it’s actually good!🤣
⬇️ SpoilersSo I think the devs really took the “Puca” reference from Shakespearean literature to heart when they wrote Ascot’s character. The Puca, a mythical creature known for being whimsical, a trickster, and having a flip-floppy attitude, certainly reflects Ascot’s personality down to a T, no? It’s exactly how his route plays out too. One moment, he toys with the heroine’s feelings, and the next, he’s moving mountains for her. Since he’s also a purefae, it explains why he’s pretty selfish and only thinks of himself, just like the other purefaes in the game, Oberon and Tia.
Aprose kind of annoyed me in this route too. She wasn’t as sharp and thorough as she was in Alfred, Lucas, or Linus’s routes. It felt like she lost the fire in her, and has completely let Ascot run her around his fingertips! But what I really could not get behind though was the fact that Ascot was just nonchalantly galivanting around, draining Aprose’s life force, AND KNOWING ABOUT IT, but didn’t give two shits because she “seemed fine”. Like, what the hell dude? What do you take Aprose for? Free life support?! 😡 It’s such a dick move honestly! Then again, the story kind of gets away with it by going, “He’s a purefae, he’ll say things that are downright heartless, with zero consideration for others, not even the heroine.” So…. yeah… I’m not sure if I’m liking this route at all.😒
It didn’t help that this route dragged out so many plot points for no reason, like for example: the changelings. I also thought Riley’s subplot would be a major twist in this route, but it mostly felt like it fell into the background. And don’t get me started on the scene at the Queen’s tomb with Alsie’s body. All the dilly-dallying in the previous chapters just to get to this scene was such a mess! But hey, the route seems to get away with it by throwing in spicy scenes out of nowhere, so I guess it’s forgiven!😜
Lastly, the bad ends were so raunchy. It’s funny that I can’t even hate it!🙈
JOHN
- the goat
- wears Burberry and designer perfume
John is Aprose’s attendant and childhood friend who diligently accomplishes any task without error. He is very skilled in both literary arts and combat, and was the one who taught Aprose basic self-defense when she was younger. He’s very cautious and studies his surroundings as he aids Aprose in her quest for revenge.
John is definitely a goated character… too bad his route is not! It was however, a very interesting run because it didn’t follow the structure of the previous LI routes, Ascot’s aside. I’m a huge fan of Shiraimu, so maybe this is my biased brain talking, but I love John.🥺 He’s a great character, in fact! Smart, capable, badass in combat, and always able to accomplish whatever tasks Aprose asks of him with ease, no questions asked. He’s always there for the heroine, come hell or high water, and I think he had a really solid character development arc in this game. I can’t really fault him for the fact that his story’s pacing completely took a nosedive.
⬇️ SpoilersI can’t believe we’ve reached an era where an otome LI is actually named John Doe. 😭
Anyway, I actually really loved this route, mostly because I liked John’s character, so I didn’t care that the pacing was off. It was kind of nice how the game added that eerie prenotion where the heroine would feel a chill run down her spine every time John looked at her. It was an obvious hint that it had to do with Oberon. There was so much foreshadowing in the earlier routes that you could pretty much connect the dots and realize John was part of Oberon. I mean, they pretty much looked the same from the start, right? That was already a big giveaway right from the get-go!
John was also one of the strongest characters in the game, though his powers seem to vary depending on how much Oberon allows him to use. He is technically, a purefae just like Ascot, Oberon, and Tia, so he wields the same strength that purefaes do. I kind of got the sense he was someone not to be messed with when he defeated old Nick, Edmund’s butler, who was also known to be the goat back in the day!🤣
I did feel that John was kind of shafted in the game though. IDK, the writers must’ve hated him or something because he really went through so much suffering for having to conceal his identity for so long and probably would’ve taken it to his grave in the other routes. I just feel bad for him. Poor Guy.😞 Clearly, he didn’t want to betray Aprose, but in his case, it was the nature of his existence as Oberon’s avatar, a literal NOBODY created to aid the heroine, and in the long run, betray her in the process. This route was kind of angsty, though I think they could’ve executed the angst better, which is pretty much a common problem that I have with the game.
On a different note, I can’t believe the other LIs get so many sprite variations with elaborate outfits, and then you have John with his sprite variation of: a waiter outfit, 1 black dress shirt, 1 dirty rag shirt.😭 Like, damn, give the man some fancy fits too! Well, at least he’s rocking Burberry in his regular sprite!
APROSE E. RANDOLPH
- cant cook 😭
- Aprose to the haters
After dealing with a few disappointing MCs this year, playing Aprose was such a delight! I love this heroine. She’s always guarded, highly proactive, and very efficient. I can’t really stress enough how efficient this MC is. She really be doing A LOT! -like, finishing an all-day chore in just an hour, running around spying on LIs, chasing pick-pocketers, fighting bad guys, climbing trees, doing embroidery…among many, many other tasks, all while sporting her infamous poker face!
She’s also a really good critical thinker and 99% of the time has predominantly navigated the story on her own, with very little help (maybe a bit from John and Goneril). She has a backup plan for everything and can think on her feet in perilous situations.
I guess the only thing she can’t do, and is terrible at, is cooking! The girl can’t season food to save her life! 😭But she’s so oblivious to how bad her dishes are that it’s actually hilarious. We love an overconfident queen who thinks she’s Gordon Ramsay!😂
I also really loved how stern and uptight Aprose is at first, but as the story progresses, you can slowly see her walls coming down. What’s great is that she reflects on all her experiences, both old and new, which makes her growth very satisfying, to me. I also really appreciated her bonding moments with the girlies Evelyn and Charlotte. 🥺 It’s really nice to see this more human side of her when she’s with them, the part that isn’t too focused on revenge. I think Aprose really needed this type of connection, girlfriends she could confide in, and let her guard down so she can be more of herself. The friendship she has with the girls is such a lovely, heartwarming layer to her character.🥹
Perhaps my little quibble with the entire game is that Aprose’s drive and motivation for revenge greatly vary in every route. She sort of lost her fire in the last three routes (me thinks). In contrast, she was much more on top of things and determined with the first three LI routes, and was completely dead set on what she wanted/ willing to do anything to achieve her goals. I guess I could chalk this up to inconsistent writing rather than paint it as a flaw of the heroine.🤷♀️
SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION
The shard exploration can be a mixed bag. Initially, I did like how it lets you roam around the Bernstein mansion, investigate different areas, collect clues, and eavesdrop on conversations between characters and other NPCs. But the repetition of these segments quickly became tiring for me. Especially the last exploration. I think the fourth one took forever to finish. It wouldn’t have hurt to cut the exploration segments in half, as I feel it was the only thing dragging the common route for hours.
PROS:
- Mouth movements, blinking sprites
- Heroine’s Name Customization
- Chapter Select
- Flowchart
- DICTIONARY section
- Scrapbook – (these are short stories that unlock after finishing certain endings)
- Love Catch and Status Bar
- SKIP to the Next Choice function
- Skip READ function
- Quick Save/Quick Load
- CG Gallery
- Music Library
- Movie Library
- Backlog and Rewind function
CONS:
- Heroine not voiced
- The 2nd – 4th exploration segments cannot be skipped.
- Localization has a lot of typos.
TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAjx7WoCrM0
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- took me around 60–65 hours to finish. The common route, with all its exploration segments, took roughly 3–4 hours, while each love interest route ran about 5–6 hours to reach an ending, give or take. I also played mostly in docked mode for the majority of my playthroughs and had it on auto-play most of the time.
Aprose’s Journey: Came for Revenge, Stayed for Love
While the story introduces the theme “revenge”, what makes it interesting to me is how the heroine actually navigates her own desires and emotions for revenge. You see, not all revenge is cold; it can take many forms, whether grandiose or subtle. And its kinda interesting that the game explores those nuances through Aprose’s journey.
It’s also curious, because as Aprose grows as a person, makes friends, spends time with her LI, and develops her feelings for them, she will also start to question herself. Is this really what I want? There’s that constant push and pull within her, so in turn, sometimes she’s determined to see her plans through, and other times her resolve wavers. I think I really enjoyed this part of the protagonist actually, because it makes her feel so human. Sometimes we think revenge will give us closure, but when we’re finally facing it, we realize it’s not what we truly want.
The sentiment I take from all of this is that Aprose’s pursuit of revenge is closely tied to her path of healing…and I think this reinforces the game’s underlying message “that love can heal even the most painful scars.” After finding and accepting love, Aprose gradually lets go of the hatred in her heart, allowing herself to slowly heal and move forward.
Tangy Bad Ends
That’s not to say our girl doesn’t get her cold revenge served in the game, because oh, they definitely happen! And you’ll find them all in these juicy BAD ENDINGS. It’s funny how the game is cloaked in shiny glittery fairy dust, but the bad ends can really hit hard with some seriously dark stuff when you least expect it!
It surprised me even by how much I enjoyed all of them. I’m normally someone who only does bad ends out of due diligence of being a completionist 😂(hey, can’t be the only one!). Maybe curiosity got the better of me, because I’ve seemingly picked up the habit of looking forward to unlocking the “Astray” and “Clown” endings in this game.🙈These endings can spiral into something that’ll get you clutching your pearls to scenes that are just outrageously raunchy. The raunchy endings were a hoot ngl! Admittedly, I enjoyed every single one of them.🤭
I love Aprose! What a QUEEN~💅Shakespearean References and Celtic Myth Inspired Characters
Another aspect of Mistonia that also caught my curiosity was its rich Shakespearean influence. So many of the characters feel directly drawn from Elizabethan culture, like say, Oberon and Titania (Tia), the regal king and queen of fairies, while others are heavily inspired by Celtic myths like the mischievous Púca, the ethereal sylphs, the Cu Sith, Will-o’-Wisp, etc. I like and appreciate this because, in a way, the writers didn’t just pull these ideas out of their a**es. LOL. They were clearly working within a theme. And I think there was even a sense of intent behind how they wrote the characters according to their original references, which, after I looked into them, made me go: “Ahh, so that’s why…” (cough cough Ascot cough)
Below, I’ve listed some of the references I’ve compiled and compared them to how the developers adapted their characters based on these myths. Keep in mind, these contain spoilers for the game, so click at your own risk!
⬇️ Shakespearean Characters in Mistonia (Spoilers!!)Oberon – King of the fairies, oversees the fairy realm.
Tia (Queen Titania) – queen of the fairy realm.
Also, probably the most common name for the ‘Queen of fairies’ in any fantasy lore. We also see a different version of her in Cafe Enchante.lol 🤭
The Púca – A mischievous, shape-shifting creature from Celtic folklore. A trickster and unpredictable spirit, known to tempt and play tricks on humans. Often takes the form of a horse with glowing eyes, but can also appear as a goat, dog, or cat.
As much as this annoyed me, this is probably the reason why Ascot was so flip-floppy in his route and was so unpredictable all the way to the very end.
Cu Sith A massive, mystical hound known for its otherworldly strength. The most loyal among the fae servants. Rarely acts independently and follows the orders of the fae or their rulers.
Will-o’Wisp – A ghostly light from that leads travelers astray. In another folklore, Will-o’-the-Wisps are believed to be the souls of the dead who cannot find eternal rest because of evil deeds they committed while alive.
Sylph – An ethereal spirit of air, generally depicted as beautiful and graceful.
Spriggan – small, supernaturally strong fairy-goblins that guard treasures (hidden gold, jewels, ancient relics). They also protect mines from greedy humans, and can grow huge when defending their territory.
Alfred probably has the loosest connection to the actual Spriggan of folklore. The game takes creative liberty by portraying the Spriggan House as skilled in crafting weapons and able to manifest magical barriers using the power of stones.Perhaps this barrier ability is inspired by the way traditional Spriggans were said to grow to enormous size when defending their territory.Aprose| Tamora, the Queen of Goths – Aprose is likely inspired by Tamora, the Queen of the Goths in Titus Andronicus. Tamora is one of the fiercest, most vengeful, and ruthless she-villains in English Literature. Her method was visceral, and gruesome, cementing her status as one of Shakespeare’s most horrifying villains.
Of course, this isn’t a 1:1 comparison. Otherwise, Mistonia might end up with an M rating on the ESRB.Lily Bernstein| Regan (King Lear) – Lily or the “White Lily” in Mistonia is likely inspired by Regan in King Lear, another viscous she-villain in the Shakespearean lore. She lacks compassion entirely and shows no remorse of her actions. She was killed by Goneril (King Lear) at the end.
Just like Lily, Regan was also willing to betray and use her husband to achieve her goals.Goneril | Goneril (King Lear) lol you cant name your character “Goneril” and expect people not to get SUS! 😂 The Goneril in Mistonia is probably loosely based on the real Goneril from King Lear.
In Shakespeare, Goneril was also the one who killed Regan (the character I compared to Lily).NOTE: I’ll probably add more examples to this later, as the game clearly takes heavy inspiration from many of Shakespeare’s works. If you have suggestions for other character references, feel free to drop them in the comments, and I’ll try to add them here as well.
As for the overall story, I actually like that the game has a plot structure where each LI has, in one way or another, a connection to the heroine’s tragedy. And if you play the routes in a certain order, the story kind of just unpacks little by little on its own. Each route also contributes something that shapes the overarching plot in the game. Highlight for minor spoilers >>> I‘d say Alfred, Lucas, Linus and Edward’s routes give you more insights on the Eltbeak incident, while Ascot and John’s routes explore more of the game’s fantasy setting.<<<
This title, to me, was pretty solid, thematically. It stayed true to what it initially set out to be and didn’t try to become something it wasn’t. Although, I do have to say that the execution of some routes and certain storylines fell a bit short of my expectations. The routes definitely vary from being great, to mediocre, to “what the heck is even going on?” 😭 There were also plenty of plot inconsistencies that, at one point, I just kind of gave up, turned off my brain, and went “well, okay, fine...”😅 So yeah, if you’re very particular about plot consistencies and a stickler for pacing, some of these routes will tick you off for sure!
I’d say the characters were definitely the heart of this game and what kept me invested all the way to the very end of the finale. I loved the main cast, and I thought the side characters played important roles in the story as well. Aprose, the MC, was astounding and quickly earned a spot in my fav MC shrine‘!
As for the LIs, Lucas snatches “best boi” title in my book! I also thought his route was among the best-written in the game. Linus came barreling in second place, and this actually surprised me! To tell you the truth, I brainrotted on Linus for a few days before moving on…🫠 Idk, something about the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” trope always gets my knees buckled. I’m such a sucker for this trope it’s not even funny!😭 John was an amazing LI as well, though I wish his route could’ve been paced better. On the other hand, I had a love-hate relationship with Ascot and his route, but by the end of the game, my opinion of his character hopped onto the more favorable side.🙂↕️ (thankfully!)
💖LI RANKING: Lucas > Linus > John > Edward = Alfred > Ascot
📝ROUTE RANKING: Lucas > Linus > Alfred >>>> John > Edward > Ascot
For the romance, I found the game decently romantic. I was smitten by Aprose’s chemistry with her guys.🥺 The sweet, sugary moments between them were also woven naturally into the plot, which kept me glued to the story the whole time. I also loved that this title utilizes LI rivalries in every single route! It really cranks up my love-triangle guilty pleasures, which is also why I couldn’t bring myself to skip a single bad ending. (cackles)🫣😂 And as for the spice, there are a couple of suggestive scenes, some even with accompanying CGs. So I think anyone who loves a little extra heat will definitely get their fix in this game.
Yes, I shall pour all my *HONEST FEELINGS* in your room, my prince… 👅🤭Do I recommend this game? YES.
I was actually very taken and fully immersed throughout my entire playthrough of this title. The plot wasn’t grand, and it certainly had its share of glaring flaws at times, but Aprose, the LIs, and the rest of the cast made this game truly a worthwhile experience. I’m also a fantasy-girlie, so this was an easy read for me.I definitely think you will enjoy Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- if you: love fantasy/dark-fantasy settings, mysteries and revenge plots, a capable MC who’s determined to achieve her goals, a mixed cast of lovable and *twisted* love interests you’ll want to add to your collection, Shakespearean nods scattered throughout the game, and some really (emotionally) beautiful art that hits you right in the feels! If you tick all these boxes above, you’re in for a real treat with this otome title! Definitely don’t even think about passing this game up!
***That said, I will actually be partaking in Otomate’s Winter Market merch war this year. Gotta get my hands on those new Mistonia merch! All import tariffs be damned! 😤
#aksysGames #MistoniaReview #MistoniaTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeReview #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelightReview #nintendoSwitch #otomate #OtomeGameReview
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Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- Review (Nintendo Switch)
Release Date: November 13, 2025 (North America)
Developers: Otomate
Publishers: Aksys Games
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)SYNOPSIS
A fairy-tale filled with love and fixation, woven together by those who carry the blood of the fairies. The story takes place in Grand Albion, a kingdom thriving under the rule of the fairy queen. It is toward the end of the 19th century, an era where light and shadow coexist.
Our heroine Aprose, having lost everything eight years ago, swore to take revenge on those responsible.
Now, 8 years have passed. Whilst hiding her identity, she begins her search for the truth as she works at a mansion belonging to a potential target for her vengeance. What secrets will she unearth upon her chance encounters with the distinguished noblemen who protect the kingdom? What path will she choose…?
And so begins the revenge tragedy of a girl bound by a hapless fate.
ART AND MUSIC
Director: Mao SekiScenario: Satomi Nakayama, Izumi Koizumi, Akira Natsuno, YuzukiArtist: Karin SuzushiroBGM: Jun Ichikawa (Main Composer), Yoshitake Wada (Sub), Hiroshi Akechi (Sub), Kaito Furukawa (Sub)OP Theme: Tastuya Yano (Composer), Tak Miyazawa (Arrangement), FRAM (Artist)ED Theme: Asaka (Artisit & Lyrics), Hiraoki Suzuki (Composer)Mistonia’s character designs were done by Japanese artist/illustrator Karin Suzuhiro, known for their work on otome games such as Cendrillon palikA and Meiji Haikara. They also previously worked as assisting-artist for titles like Norn9 and Charade Maniacs.
The chara-designs for Mistonia were stunning btw! Heck, I looooved them! There were so many different outfit variations too!🤩 Plus, I feel like the CGs really convey the characters’ emotions so well! I am beyond pleased! I also have a soft spot for this game’s OST, especially the BGMs. No surprise there, since it’s by the same studio behind Virche’s soundtrack! If you’re someone who’s also an otoge OST-enthusiast, Aksys Games offers a bundle that includes both the game and the soundtrack, so definitely grab that if you’re interested!
Voice Acting
Yuichiro Umehara as “Alfred Creswell” – Paschalia (Radiant Tale), Serge (Genso Manege), Kohei Minato (Sympathy Kiss), Benkei (Birushana), Canus Espada (Café Enchanté), Enishi (Jack Jeanne), Demento (Period Cube), Shingen Takeda (IkeSen), Sage (Nekopara Catboys Paradise), Rain (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Oochidori (Touken Ranbu)
Ryota Suzuki as “Lucas Sullivan” – Ash (Desperadrops), Koyo (9RIP), Ginnosuke (Him, the Smile and bloom), Yona (Tengoku Struggle), Kiito Minorikawa (Jack Jeanne), Trey Clover (TWST), Ink (Gunka Haita Neko), Caster (FGO), Mizuro Tamaki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Shuichiro Umeda as “Linus Ward” – Haiji Yu (Kazura Uta), Akira Tendou (Zoom100), Kanato Kamio (Star Melody), Hikaru (The Summer Hikaru Died), Jougorou Kobato (Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary), Sable (The Dawn of the Witch), Koga (9RIP Sequel), Mitsuki Oshino (UN:LOGICAL)
Atsushi Tamaru as “Edward Bernstein” – Ichigo Hitofuri (Touken Ranbu), Tenya Minami (Him, the Smile and bloom), Kasuga (Variable Barricade), Tsukioka Tsumugi (A3!), Kohei Natsume (Kitty Love), Semi Tokitaka (Dairoku), Azul Ashengrotto (TWST)
Jun Fukuyama as “Ascot Lindell” – Karatachi (Illusion of Itehari), Mizuchi (Hana Awase), Tomomori (Birushana), Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis), Mozu (BUSTFELLOWS), Goro Fujita (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Liberta (Arcana Famiglia), Rin (Togainu no Chi), Aido (Vampire Knight), Tokiwa Etsuya (Dairoku), Goke Kanimitsu (Touken Ranbu)
Shirai Yusuke as “John” – Scarecrow (BUSTAFELLOWS), Luciole (Genso Manege), Eltcreed Valentine (Steam Prison), Watson (London Detective Mysteria), Amemura Ramuda (Hypnosis Mic), Garu (NU:Carnival), Ars (Period Cube), Usui Masumi (A3!), Miki Hiraizumi (Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome), Tsuzumi (Ken ga Kimi)
Natsumi Fujiwara as “Oberon“ – Shiki Toono (Tsukihime), Matsushita Outa (AI Somnium Files), Soga Asuma (ANONYMOUS:CODE), Glinda (OVER REQUIEMZ)
Saki Fujita as “Tia” – Hibari Tojo (Variable Barricade), Hatsune Miku (Hatsune Miku: Project Diva), Ymir (Attack on Titan), Seiko Kimura (Danganropa 3), Ruri Hijiribe (Durarara!!), Basho (Senran Kagura Peach Ball)
Naomi Iida as “Goneril“ – Queen Victoria (Code Realize), Evelina (Even if Tempest), Tara (Haruka 7), Sakai Tadatsugu (Sengoku Hime), Miwa Asahina (Brothers Conflict), Renoman (Desert Kingdom) Otoha Amamiya (Hiiro no Kakera – Shin Tamayorihime Denshou)
Ikumi Hasegawa as “Lily Bernstein” – Erica (EPHEMERAL), Setsu (GNOSIA), Riho (Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage), Ulrica (The Legend of Heroes), Ciaccona (Wuthering Waves), Arcueid Brunestud (Tsukihime), Tsumugi Hibiki (Ready or Not!), Subaru (LACKGIRL), Ginka Shinomiya (GINKA)
CHARACTERS AND ROUTES
Mistonia has seven routes total: 6 LI routes and 1 Truth Route. The game lets you start with Alfred, Lucas, and Linus. After clearing two of the three starter routes, Edward and Ascot’s routes will unlock. Once you finish either Edward or Ascot’s, John’s route becomes available. And finally, after clearing John’s route, the truth route unlocks as the game’s finale.
A key aspect of Mistonia’s story is how it gradually unveils major plot points that shape the overarching “who’s who” mystery of the game when you play in a certain order. So, if you want to experience the game with its revelations unfolding from the lightest to the heaviest spoilers, I highly recommend following this route order: Alfred → Lucas → Linus → Edward → Ascot → John → Truth.
This play-order allows the story’s twists and (at the same time), mystery-building flow smoothly all the way to the finale. On a side note, the devs have also shared their own soft recommended route order, which is quite similar to the one above. If you decide to follow their version, I’d definitely advise caution, as Ascot’s route contains some of the biggest spoilers in the game leading up to John’s. So if you’re someone who prefers to save the major reveals for later, it’s worth keeping that in mind.
That said, if you don’t mind spoilers early on, feel free to play whichever routes you prefer, just remember that the game does have certain route restrictions, so some paths won’t be available right away.
Walkthroughs:
Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- . All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.
⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings Violence, murder, mass murder, village destruction, death, blood, classism, discrimination against poor people, sexual manipulation, manipulation, gaslighting, multiple sexual partners, NTR/partner being stolen.ALFRED CRESWELL
- workaholic, hot & 30 🤭
Alfred is one of the heads of the Five Houses of Grand Albion, specifically the Creswell House, and a descendant of Spriggan. He is serious, strict, and stoic. Always thinking one step ahead, he approaches every situation, and decision logically.
Alfred is probably the route you’ll want to start first in the game, as the core of his story focuses on the political tension between the Queen and the country’s citizens. In a way, it’s a good route that expands on the Common route’s world-building, as well as familiarizing you with the different issues at hand in Grand Albion and how they are addressed or well… ignored by their grand ruler, the Queen.
Depending on how invested you are in the game’s *political* plot here, you may or may not find this route a drag. Personally, though, I quite liked it! (And that’s coming from someone who usually hates political palavers in otome games). It’s probably because I enjoyed the romance and the back-and-forth between Alfred and Aprose, the heroine.
Alfred is extremely pragmatic and logical in everything he does (and he stays consistent like this throughout the game). He’s always the one with a contingency plan for every single thing, and this route really highlights that trait of his. It’s kind of amusing how this mirrors Aprose, who also sort of tends to make backup plans for everything. Their personalities really complement each other (me thinks), and it’s fun watching them constantly try to one-up each other (at least in Aprose’s POV).😆 On a side note, this is also a decent route that highlights the heroine’s drive for revenge.
⬇️ SpoilersMy high spot of this route was definitely how likable Aprose is as MC. This is probably the route where she comes across as rather snappish or brusque toward her LI. I mean, she still has her fiery moments in other routes and with other guys, but she really embodies being ‘rough around the edges’ here, with Alfred. Perhaps this dynamic comes from both of them having reserved personalities, which sometimes makes them struggle to express what they truly feel? Idk, but it’s cute! I like that their chemistry sometimes is like:
Alfred: You.. like me..?
Aprose: Ew, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. I like you! 😠I esp love how Aprose whacks Alfred to sleep because the dude insists on working even though he’s sick and overfatigued, lol.😭 I also loved the bonding moments between Aprose, Evelyn, and Charlotte here! 🥺 it’s nice seeing Aprose find girlfriends she can chit-chat with about matters of the heart!🥺
This route can go from interesting to cliche, but I didn’t hate it. It’s a decent route for starters!
LUCAS SULLIVAN
- tsundere 🥺
- best boi!🤧
Lucas is the expected head of the Sullivan House and a descendant of the Will-o’-Wisp.
He’s a peculiar pessimist who shows little interest in the political affairs of the Five Houses, and his desire is to only to become a purefae. Though he’s a noble, he detests political strife and speaks to others with a cold, detached tone. He does, however, show a kinder side to those he’s close to although he can also become quite belligerent.I freaking love this route! 😭 First of, tsun tsun Ryota Suzuki, is an auto-biased-by-default! (cackles) But I was really floored by how this one even surpassed my expectations. The romance was so stinking good! The way the scenario in this route naturally set up and built the relationship between Lucas and Aprose was so perfect. I think it’s also probably one of the few routes in this title where the MC and LI’s bond just naturally developed organically, instead of the story enforcing it.🥹
Lucas was also a really endearing character.🥺🤲 You can tell he’s always thinking of Aprose’s best interests. He’s sincere and kind, and even outside his route, he continues to support the heroine, even if he doesn’t always explicitly show it. His “Astray” End was also one of my favorite endings in this game for reasons! 🤭Definitely a great LI and a great route all around! 10/10 would replay it again!
⬇️ SpoilersI am in the clouds! Lucas is such an amazing LI! But the route itself was also pretty good, albeit predictable, but very enjoyable nonetheless! I loved the little story nuance where each of the servants at Bernstein Mansion were dispatched to the Sullivans one by one, only to come back either fired or they personally quit after 24 hours. 😂(laughs) Poor little Charlotte! It also made me cackle how Evelyn and Charlotte described Lucas to Aprose as some sort of deranged weirdo who yells and throws things at the wall in his lonesome. Like, damn, that’s a wild piece of work right there! Lmao.😂 (Not knowing that the real reason he does this is actually kind of heartbreaking.)🥲
Contrary to Alfred’s route, Aprose was also very different here with Lucas. Both men contributed to the murder of her family and the burning of her village. The only key difference is that Lucas was unconsciously manipulated by the Queen, while Alfred was fully aware of what he was doing when he cast the barrier that prevented the villagers from escaping. However, Alfred did it because it was the Queen’s direct order and he wanted to protect his house, showing his logical yet passive nature, willing to yield to a threat he had no leverage over. It makes sense, then, that Aprose was more lenient toward Lucas, who was essentially a puppet during the Eltbeak disaster, while Alfred had a choice but was forced to participate.
On the plus side, this route probably has one of the best romances in the game. I adore the little gestures of love, like Lucas giving her hand cream because he feels guilty about the housework she has to do in his mansion, or giving her leeway and free time under the guise of instructing her to “only do certain chores during the day,” awkwardly having her make tea for his “flighty visitors” (read: he doesn’t really have any), only for Aprose to stand in and drink the tea with him. It’s also hilarious how Aprose caught on to his little BS early on but decides to go with the flow anyway, because she enjoys his company too! Oh…my heart is full!😭
His bad ending, where he becomes a bit OOC and takes on the role of being Aprose’s wannabe lover while she’s married to Alfred, definitely clicked all my guilty pleasure 3P boxes! Like, what the heck, yes please!!🤤
P.S. The paint splatters on his sprite hands was such a nice detail!
LINUS WARD
- sunshine boy but….👀
- not a genki
- my actual stance on Linus
Linus is the next head of House Ward, descendants of the Cu Sith. He has such a bright and friendly personality that even his childhood friend, Edward describes him as someone who’s like a ray of sunshine. He’s deeply loyal to his clan and also devoted to the Queen, a trait inherited from his Cu Sith blood. Once he immerses himself with work, he tends to forget to sleep or eat. He still can’t seem to let go of his first love, and romance plays a passive role in his life.
Linus is another character who, by chance, I ended up really loving (to the point of brainrotting).😂 I honestly didn’t think I’d enjoy this LI as much, but here we are. It’s kind of interesting because, on the surface, Linus seems like your typical vibrant LI (cute, sweet, cheerful… you know the type!) But dont be fooled! His route brings a lot more to the table than you’d expect. Personally, this worked really well for me (hence my brainrotting lol), but I can definitely see how it might not land the same way for others. 👀 Also, Umeda, his VA was unbelievable! I hope we get to hear him voicing more otome LIs in the future!
⬇️ SpoilersLinus is…….. QUITE SCARY, ISN’T HE??? This route kind of lowkey bordered a bit on red flag territory. At first, you’d think he’s harmless with his labrador retriever energy, but nope! fake genki alert! He’s actually one of the most dangerous targets for Aprose because of his Cu Sith blood. Aprose even recognizes how sharp Linus is as a tactician. Even when she tried to play innocent after getting caught red-handed, he was still on to her like a hawk. And was never dissuaded on her feigning ignorance. What an interesting character! Tbh its his terrifying side that made me love him more.
I also really like that Aprose isn’t an airhead about the obvious things. Like the fact that she realizes she was Linus’s childhood friend right away, instead of the story dragging it out. She was also such a good critical thinker here, because after realizing how dangerous it was to deal with Linus and the Ward lackeys, she treads back for the time being and carefully rethinks her actions, and later on decided that the only way to get the upper hand on Linus was to use lust. OOOH SNAP! YES QUEEN GO SEDUCE YOUR MAN! The woman has balls of steel honestly!
I also didn’t think lovers-to-enemies was even a thing but I’VE COME TO LOVE THIS TROPE. I thought Linus’s route utilizes the trope pretty well that I was living for every heated exchange between Aprose and Linus all the way to the end.😂 This route just kept me awake! Ha!
My only complaint was that I don’t think they really banked on the tension between Aprose and Linus’s dynamic enough? I feel like they could’ve gotten away with it being more dramatic than it is, maybe commit to Linus’s red flag tendencies, cause his route had so much potential to go all the way. I just think this route needed a bit more oomph or a little more push on the angsty side to make it really satisfying, in my opinion. Still, I definitely enjoyed it more than most of the others!
Lastly, Linus totally pissed me off in other routes. Like, come on, my dude, get off the Queen’s ass! I get that it’s your Cu Sith blood talking, but gosh, don’t make me hate you man!😩
EDWARD BERNSTEIN
- soft
- daddy issues
Edward is the next head of House Bernstein, descendants of the Sylph. He’s honest and fair, refuses to conform to Grand Albion’s classist ideals, and always treats everyone as an equal. He believes that those with power should help those who lack the same privileges. Polite to everyone regardless of status, Edward also has a strong dislike for conflict.
This route was… maybe a little too all over the place, if I’m being honest. I didn’t dislike it, but at the same time, it wasn’t one of the stronger ones in terms of plot and narrative pacing. Aprose, wasn’t at her best here either. Unlike in previous routes, her drive for revenge was more toned down, and perhaps it’s influenced by Edward’s kind-hearted nature?
Speaking of which, what really redeems this route for me is Edward himself. What a soft and genuinely kind-hearted guy! I could never bring myself to dislike him. Plus, his VA is one of my comfort seiyuus!🥺 Some might find him too vanilla or boring, but I just love how level-headed and consistently kind he is (maybe even a little too kind). Edward’s story also unravels some key pieces of the game, so I appreciated the reveals thrown in here as well. I’d definitely do this route first before Ascot’s, otherwise, Edward’s plot-revelations won’t have as much impact.
⬇️ SpoilersUnlike the previous routes, where there’s a thread of tension stemming from Aprose’s drive for revenge against her LI, Edward’s route feels kind of different, in a sense that he actively tries to prevent Aprose from being consumed by her revenge, sharing her burden in a positive way and helping her heal. I liked this approach actually and I thought it was very true to Edward’s character. I just wished this theme had been executed a bit better. The last chapters of Ed’s route just had a lot of things happening that its easy to miss important details due to that. The story however, does give you enough space to process each plot point before the next twist or reveal happen so I guess there’s also that.
GOOD ENDING: I cackled when Aprose called out her son, but also said she’s preggy with another baby! Like DAYUMMM BRO! It’s only been 3 years (?) BUT EDWARD SURE GOT TO BUSINESS RIGHT AWAY! LOL
As for Aprose getting her revenge, it’s actually in Edward’s bad end that things get juicy! Idk about you, but as a Linus enjoyer, I looooove Edward’s ‘astray’ end (bad end). It’s Linus who helps Aprose exact her revenge on Edward and eventually the Queen. Thinking back, it was also Linus who helps Aprose execute her revenge in HIS OWN bad end too! Now, isnt he just perfectly consistent with his role as a “hound”? Ha!
For Edmund and his backstory… Look, I can admit the dude’s a hot DILF, okay! I even liked how deranged and delulu he is with his obsession over Aprose’s mom. But man, he’s such a classist and a bootlicker to the Queen, which is definitely a turn-off. I didnt liked him at all. The way he treats Edward, his own son, is completely reprehensible! What an absolute trash.
ASCOT LINDELL
- “i can fix him”
- Ascot McRaunchy Lindell
- literally puts the ass in Ascot
Ascot is the representative head of House Lindell, descendants of the Puca. A handsome young man with a reputation as a womanizer in high society. A lot of women flock to him and want his company. Despite his responsibilities as head of his house, he does as he pleases and, most of the time, comes across as unserious.
I… don’t know how I feel about Ascot, tbh. He is an a$$cot for sure! Admittedly, I started this route with a grin on my face. Like dead serious, who could resist Fukujun’s eccentric teasings, hmm? But that grin almost instantly turned into furrowed brows because this route was an absolute hot mess!🔥🗑️👌
For one, (after clearing his story) I could kind of see what the writers were going for here (read spoilers to expound this point). But something about how the route was written, paced, and pieced together just completely threw me off. By the end, I couldn’t take Ascot’s route seriously. I mean, I didn’t hate it, and I still enjoyed all its absurdities if anything. I guess it’s one of those routes that’s so bad, it’s actually good!🤣
⬇️ SpoilersSo I think the devs really took the “Puca” reference from Shakespearean literature to heart when they wrote Ascot’s character. The Puca, a mythical creature known for being whimsical, a trickster, and having a flip-floppy attitude, certainly reflects Ascot’s personality down to a T, no? It’s exactly how his route plays out too. One moment, he toys with the heroine’s feelings, and the next, he’s moving mountains for her. Since he’s also a purefae, it explains why he’s pretty selfish and only thinks of himself, just like the other purefaes in the game, Oberon and Tia.
Aprose kind of annoyed me in this route too. She wasn’t as sharp and thorough as she was in Alfred, Lucas, or Linus’s routes. It felt like she lost the fire in her, and has completely let Ascot run her around his fingertips! But what I really could not get behind though was the fact that Ascot was just nonchalantly galivanting around, draining Aprose’s life force, AND KNOWING ABOUT IT, but didn’t give two shits because she “seemed fine”. Like, what the hell dude? What do you take Aprose for? Free life support?! 😡 It’s such a dick move honestly! Then again, the story kind of gets away with it by going, “He’s a purefae, he’ll say things that are downright heartless, with zero consideration for others, not even the heroine.” So…. yeah… I’m not sure if I’m liking this route at all.😒
It didn’t help that this route dragged out so many plot points for no reason, like for example: the changelings. I also thought Riley’s subplot would be a major twist in this route, but it mostly felt like it fell into the background. And don’t get me started on the scene at the Queen’s tomb with Alsie’s body. All the dilly-dallying in the previous chapters just to get to this scene was such a mess! But hey, the route seems to get away with it by throwing in spicy scenes out of nowhere, so I guess it’s forgiven!😜
Lastly, the bad ends were so raunchy. It’s funny that I can’t even hate it!🙈
JOHN
- the goat
- wears Burberry and designer perfume
John is Aprose’s attendant and childhood friend who diligently accomplishes any task without error. He is very skilled in both literary arts and combat, and was the one who taught Aprose basic self-defense when she was younger. He’s very cautious and studies his surroundings as he aids Aprose in her quest for revenge.
John is definitely a goated character… too bad his route is not! It was however, a very interesting run because it didn’t follow the structure of the previous LI routes, Ascot’s aside. I’m a huge fan of Shiraimu, so maybe this is my biased brain talking, but I love John.🥺 He’s a great character, in fact! Smart, capable, badass in combat, and always able to accomplish whatever tasks Aprose asks of him with ease, no questions asked. He’s always there for the heroine, come hell or high water, and I think he had a really solid character development arc in this game. I can’t really fault him for the fact that his story’s pacing completely took a nosedive.
⬇️ SpoilersI can’t believe we’ve reached an era where an otome LI is actually named John Doe. 😭
Anyway, I actually really loved this route, mostly because I liked John’s character, so I didn’t care that the pacing was off. It was kind of nice how the game added that eerie prenotion where the heroine would feel a chill run down her spine every time John looked at her. It was an obvious hint that it had to do with Oberon. There was so much foreshadowing in the earlier routes that you could pretty much connect the dots and realize John was part of Oberon. I mean, they pretty much looked the same from the start, right? That was already a big giveaway right from the get-go!
John was also one of the strongest characters in the game, though his powers seem to vary depending on how much Oberon allows him to use. He is technically, a purefae just like Ascot, Oberon, and Tia, so he wields the same strength that purefaes do. I kind of got the sense he was someone not to be messed with when he defeated old Nick, Edmund’s butler, who was also known to be the goat back in the day!🤣
I did feel that John was kind of shafted in the game though. IDK, the writers must’ve hated him or something because he really went through so much suffering for having to conceal his identity for so long and probably would’ve taken it to his grave in the other routes. I just feel bad for him. Poor Guy.😞 Clearly, he didn’t want to betray Aprose, but in his case, it was the nature of his existence as Oberon’s avatar, a literal NOBODY created to aid the heroine, and in the long run, betray her in the process. This route was kind of angsty, though I think they could’ve executed the angst better, which is pretty much a common problem that I have with the game.
On a different note, I can’t believe the other LIs get so many sprite variations with elaborate outfits, and then you have John with his sprite variation of: a waiter outfit, 1 black dress shirt, 1 dirty rag shirt.😭 Like, damn, give the man some fancy fits too! Well, at least he’s rocking Burberry in his regular sprite!
APROSE E. RANDOLPH
- cant cook 😭
- Aprose to the haters
After dealing with a few disappointing MCs this year, playing Aprose was such a delight! I love this heroine. She’s always guarded, highly proactive, and very efficient. I can’t really stress enough how efficient this MC is. She really be doing A LOT! -like, finishing an all-day chore in just an hour, running around spying on LIs, chasing pick-pocketers, fighting bad guys, climbing trees, doing embroidery…among many, many other tasks, all while sporting her infamous poker face!
She’s also a really good critical thinker and 99% of the time has predominantly navigated the story on her own, with very little help (maybe a bit from John and Goneril). She has a backup plan for everything and can think on her feet in perilous situations.
I guess the only thing she can’t do, and is terrible at, is cooking! The girl can’t season food to save her life! 😭But she’s so oblivious to how bad her dishes are that it’s actually hilarious. We love an overconfident queen who thinks she’s Gordon Ramsay!😂
I also really loved how stern and uptight Aprose is at first, but as the story progresses, you can slowly see her walls coming down. What’s great is that she reflects on all her experiences, both old and new, which makes her growth very satisfying, to me. I also really appreciated her bonding moments with the girlies Evelyn and Charlotte. 🥺 It’s really nice to see this more human side of her when she’s with them, the part that isn’t too focused on revenge. I think Aprose really needed this type of connection, girlfriends she could confide in, and let her guard down so she can be more of herself. The friendship she has with the girls is such a lovely, heartwarming layer to her character.🥹
Perhaps my little quibble with the entire game is that Aprose’s drive and motivation for revenge greatly vary in every route. She sort of lost her fire in the last three routes (me thinks). In contrast, she was much more on top of things and determined with the first three LI routes, and was completely dead set on what she wanted/ willing to do anything to achieve her goals. I guess I could chalk this up to inconsistent writing rather than paint it as a flaw of the heroine.🤷♀️
SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION
The shard exploration can be a mixed bag. Initially, I did like how it lets you roam around the Bernstein mansion, investigate different areas, collect clues, and eavesdrop on conversations between characters and other NPCs. But the repetition of these segments quickly became tiring for me. Especially the last exploration. I think the fourth one took forever to finish. It wouldn’t have hurt to cut the exploration segments in half, as I feel it was the only thing dragging the common route for hours.
PROS:
- Mouth movements, blinking sprites
- Heroine’s Name Customization
- Chapter Select
- Flowchart
- DICTIONARY section
- Scrapbook – (these are short stories that unlock after finishing certain endings)
- Love Catch and Status Bar
- SKIP to the Next Choice function
- Skip READ function
- Quick Save/Quick Load
- CG Gallery
- Music Library
- Movie Library
- Backlog and Rewind function
CONS:
- Heroine not voiced
- The 2nd – 4th exploration segments cannot be skipped.
- Localization has a lot of typos.
TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAjx7WoCrM0
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- took me around 60–65 hours to finish. The common route, with all its exploration segments, took roughly 3–4 hours, while each love interest route ran about 5–6 hours to reach an ending, give or take. I also played mostly in docked mode for the majority of my playthroughs and had it on auto-play most of the time.
Aprose’s Journey: Came for Revenge, Stayed for Love
While the story introduces the theme “revenge”, what makes it interesting to me is how the heroine actually navigates her own desires and emotions for revenge. You see, not all revenge is cold; it can take many forms, whether grandiose or subtle. And its kinda interesting that the game explores those nuances through Aprose’s journey.
It’s also curious, because as Aprose grows as a person, makes friends, spends time with her LI, and develops her feelings for them, she will also start to question herself. Is this really what I want? There’s that constant push and pull within her, so in turn, sometimes she’s determined to see her plans through, and other times her resolve wavers. I think I really enjoyed this part of the protagonist actually, because it makes her feel so human. Sometimes we think revenge will give us closure, but when we’re finally facing it, we realize it’s not what we truly want.
The sentiment I take from all of this is that Aprose’s pursuit of revenge is closely tied to her path of healing…and I think this reinforces the game’s underlying message “that love can heal even the most painful scars.” After finding and accepting love, Aprose gradually lets go of the hatred in her heart, allowing herself to slowly heal and move forward.
Tangy Bad Ends
That’s not to say our girl doesn’t get her cold revenge served in the game, because oh, they definitely happen! And you’ll find them all in these juicy BAD ENDINGS. It’s funny how the game is cloaked in shiny glittery fairy dust, but the bad ends can really hit hard with some seriously dark stuff when you least expect it!
It surprised me even by how much I enjoyed all of them. I’m normally someone who only does bad ends out of due diligence of being a completionist 😂(hey, can’t be the only one!). Maybe curiosity got the better of me, because I’ve seemingly picked up the habit of looking forward to unlocking the “Astray” and “Clown” endings in this game.🙈These endings can spiral into something that’ll get you clutching your pearls to scenes that are just outrageously raunchy. The raunchy endings were a hoot ngl! Admittedly, I enjoyed every single one of them.🤭
I love Aprose! What a QUEEN~💅Shakespearean References and Celtic Myth Inspired Characters
Another aspect of Mistonia that also caught my curiosity was its rich Shakespearean influence. So many of the characters feel directly drawn from Elizabethan culture, like say, Oberon and Titania (Tia), the regal king and queen of fairies, while others are heavily inspired by Celtic myths like the mischievous Púca, the ethereal sylphs, the Cu Sith, Will-o’-Wisp, etc. I like and appreciate this because, in a way, the writers didn’t just pull these ideas out of their a**es. LOL. They were clearly working within a theme. And I think there was even a sense of intent behind how they wrote the characters according to their original references, which, after I looked into them, made me go: “Ahh, so that’s why…” (cough cough Ascot cough)
Below, I’ve listed some of the references I’ve compiled and compared them to how the developers adapted their characters based on these myths. Keep in mind, these contain spoilers for the game, so click at your own risk!
⬇️ Shakespearean Characters in Mistonia (Spoilers!!)Oberon – King of the fairies, oversees the fairy realm.
Tia (Queen Titania) – queen of the fairy realm.
Also, probably the most common name for the ‘Queen of fairies’ in any fantasy lore. We also see a different version of her in Cafe Enchante.lol 🤭
The Púca – A mischievous, shape-shifting creature from Celtic folklore. A trickster and unpredictable spirit, known to tempt and play tricks on humans. Often takes the form of a horse with glowing eyes, but can also appear as a goat, dog, or cat.
As much as this annoyed me, this is probably the reason why Ascot was so flip-floppy in his route and was so unpredictable all the way to the very end.
Cu Sith A massive, mystical hound known for its otherworldly strength. The most loyal among the fae servants. Rarely acts independently and follows the orders of the fae or their rulers.
Will-o’Wisp – A ghostly light from that leads travelers astray. In another folklore, Will-o’-the-Wisps are believed to be the souls of the dead who cannot find eternal rest because of evil deeds they committed while alive.
Sylph – An ethereal spirit of air, generally depicted as beautiful and graceful.
Spriggan – small, supernaturally strong fairy-goblins that guard treasures (hidden gold, jewels, ancient relics). They also protect mines from greedy humans, and can grow huge when defending their territory.
Alfred probably has the loosest connection to the actual Spriggan of folklore. The game takes creative liberty by portraying the Spriggan House as skilled in crafting weapons and able to manifest magical barriers using the power of stones.Perhaps this barrier ability is inspired by the way traditional Spriggans were said to grow to enormous size when defending their territory.Aprose| Tamora, the Queen of Goths – Aprose is likely inspired by Tamora, the Queen of the Goths in Titus Andronicus. Tamora is one of the fiercest, most vengeful, and ruthless she-villains in English Literature. Her method was visceral, and gruesome, cementing her status as one of Shakespeare’s most horrifying villains.
Of course, this isn’t a 1:1 comparison. Otherwise, Mistonia might end up with an M rating on the ESRB.Lily Bernstein| Regan (King Lear) – Lily or the “White Lily” in Mistonia is likely inspired by Regan in King Lear, another viscous she-villain in the Shakespearean lore. She lacks compassion entirely and shows no remorse of her actions. She was killed by Goneril (King Lear) at the end.
Just like Lily, Regan was also willing to betray and use her husband to achieve her goals.Goneril | Goneril (King Lear) lol you cant name your character “Goneril” and expect people not to get SUS! 😂 The Goneril in Mistonia is probably loosely based on the real Goneril from King Lear.
In Shakespeare, Goneril was also the one who killed Regan (the character I compared to Lily).NOTE: I’ll probably add more examples to this later, as the game clearly takes heavy inspiration from many of Shakespeare’s works. If you have suggestions for other character references, feel free to drop them in the comments, and I’ll try to add them here as well.
As for the overall story, I actually like that the game has a plot structure where each LI has, in one way or another, a connection to the heroine’s tragedy. And if you play the routes in a certain order, the story kind of just unpacks little by little on its own. Each route also contributes something that shapes the overarching plot in the game. Highlight for minor spoilers >>> I‘d say Alfred, Lucas, Linus and Edward’s routes give you more insights on the Eltbeak incident, while Ascot and John’s routes explore more of the game’s fantasy setting.<<<
This title, to me, was pretty solid, thematically. It stayed true to what it initially set out to be and didn’t try to become something it wasn’t. Although, I do have to say that the execution of some routes and certain storylines fell a bit short of my expectations. The routes definitely vary from being great, to mediocre, to “what the heck is even going on?” 😭 There were also plenty of plot inconsistencies that, at one point, I just kind of gave up, turned off my brain, and went “well, okay, fine...”😅 So yeah, if you’re very particular about plot consistencies and a stickler for pacing, some of these routes will tick you off for sure!
I’d say the characters were definitely the heart of this game and what kept me invested all the way to the very end of the finale. I loved the main cast, and I thought the side characters played important roles in the story as well. Aprose, the MC, was astounding and quickly earned a spot in my fav MC shrine‘!
As for the LIs, Lucas snatches “best boi” title in my book! I also thought his route was among the best-written in the game. Linus came barreling in second place, and this actually surprised me! To tell you the truth, I brainrotted on Linus for a few days before moving on…🫠 Idk, something about the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” trope always gets my knees buckled. I’m such a sucker for this trope it’s not even funny!😭 John was an amazing LI as well, though I wish his route could’ve been paced better. On the other hand, I had a love-hate relationship with Ascot and his route, but by the end of the game, my opinion of his character hopped onto the more favorable side.🙂↕️ (thankfully!)
💖LI RANKING: Lucas > Linus > John > Edward = Alfred > Ascot
📝ROUTE RANKING: Lucas > Linus > Alfred >>>> John > Edward > Ascot
For the romance, I found the game decently romantic. I was smitten by Aprose’s chemistry with her guys.🥺 The sweet, sugary moments between them were also woven naturally into the plot, which kept me glued to the story the whole time. I also loved that this title utilizes LI rivalries in every single route! It really cranks up my love-triangle guilty pleasures, which is also why I couldn’t bring myself to skip a single bad ending. (cackles)🫣😂 And as for the spice, there are a couple of suggestive scenes, some even with accompanying CGs. So I think anyone who loves a little extra heat will definitely get their fix in this game.
Yes, I shall pour all my *HONEST FEELINGS* in your room, my prince… 👅🤭Do I recommend this game? YES.
I was actually very taken and fully immersed throughout my entire playthrough of this title. The plot wasn’t grand, and it certainly had its share of glaring flaws at times, but Aprose, the LIs, and the rest of the cast made this game truly a worthwhile experience. I’m also a fantasy-girlie, so this was an easy read for me.I definitely think you will enjoy Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- if you: love fantasy/dark-fantasy settings, mysteries and revenge plots, a capable MC who’s determined to achieve her goals, a mixed cast of lovable and *twisted* love interests you’ll want to add to your collection, Shakespearean nods scattered throughout the game, and some really (emotionally) beautiful art that hits you right in the feels! If you tick all these boxes above, you’re in for a real treat with this otome title! Definitely don’t even think about passing this game up!
***That said, I will actually be partaking in Otomate’s Winter Market merch war this year. Gotta get my hands on those new Mistonia merch! All import tariffs be damned! 😤
#aksysGames #MistoniaReview #MistoniaTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeReview #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelightReview #nintendoSwitch #otomate #OtomeGameReview
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Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- Review (Nintendo Switch)
Release Date: November 13, 2025 (North America)
Developers: Otomate
Publishers: Aksys Games
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)SYNOPSIS
A fairy-tale filled with love and fixation, woven together by those who carry the blood of the fairies. The story takes place in Grand Albion, a kingdom thriving under the rule of the fairy queen. It is toward the end of the 19th century, an era where light and shadow coexist.
Our heroine Aprose, having lost everything eight years ago, swore to take revenge on those responsible.
Now, 8 years have passed. Whilst hiding her identity, she begins her search for the truth as she works at a mansion belonging to a potential target for her vengeance. What secrets will she unearth upon her chance encounters with the distinguished noblemen who protect the kingdom? What path will she choose…?
And so begins the revenge tragedy of a girl bound by a hapless fate.
ART AND MUSIC
Director: Mao SekiScenario: Satomi Nakayama, Izumi Koizumi, Akira Natsuno, YuzukiArtist: Karin SuzushiroBGM: Jun Ichikawa (Main Composer), Yoshitake Wada (Sub), Hiroshi Akechi (Sub), Kaito Furukawa (Sub)OP Theme: Tastuya Yano (Composer), Tak Miyazawa (Arrangement), FRAM (Artist)ED Theme: Asaka (Artisit & Lyrics), Hiraoki Suzuki (Composer)Mistonia’s character designs were done by Japanese artist/illustrator Karin Suzuhiro, known for their work on otome games such as Cendrillon palikA and Meiji Haikara. They also previously worked as assisting-artist for titles like Norn9 and Charade Maniacs.
The chara-designs for Mistonia were stunning btw! Heck, I looooved them! There were so many different outfit variations too!🤩 Plus, I feel like the CGs really convey the characters’ emotions so well! I am beyond pleased! I also have a soft spot for this game’s OST, especially the BGMs. No surprise there, since it’s by the same studio behind Virche’s soundtrack! If you’re someone who’s also an otoge OST-enthusiast, Aksys Games offers a bundle that includes both the game and the soundtrack, so definitely grab that if you’re interested!
Voice Acting
Yuichiro Umehara as “Alfred Creswell” – Paschalia (Radiant Tale), Serge (Genso Manege), Kohei Minato (Sympathy Kiss), Benkei (Birushana), Canus Espada (Café Enchanté), Enishi (Jack Jeanne), Demento (Period Cube), Shingen Takeda (IkeSen), Sage (Nekopara Catboys Paradise), Rain (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Oochidori (Touken Ranbu)
Ryota Suzuki as “Lucas Sullivan” – Ash (Desperadrops), Koyo (9RIP), Ginnosuke (Him, the Smile and bloom), Yona (Tengoku Struggle), Kiito Minorikawa (Jack Jeanne), Trey Clover (TWST), Ink (Gunka Haita Neko), Caster (FGO), Mizuro Tamaki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Shuichiro Umeda as “Linus Ward” – Haiji Yu (Kazura Uta), Akira Tendou (Zoom100), Kanato Kamio (Star Melody), Hikaru (The Summer Hikaru Died), Jougorou Kobato (Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary), Sable (The Dawn of the Witch), Koga (9RIP Sequel), Mitsuki Oshino (UN:LOGICAL)
Atsushi Tamaru as “Edward Bernstein” – Ichigo Hitofuri (Touken Ranbu), Tenya Minami (Him, the Smile and bloom), Kasuga (Variable Barricade), Tsukioka Tsumugi (A3!), Kohei Natsume (Kitty Love), Semi Tokitaka (Dairoku), Azul Ashengrotto (TWST)
Jun Fukuyama as “Ascot Lindell” – Karatachi (Illusion of Itehari), Mizuchi (Hana Awase), Tomomori (Birushana), Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis), Mozu (BUSTFELLOWS), Goro Fujita (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Liberta (Arcana Famiglia), Rin (Togainu no Chi), Aido (Vampire Knight), Tokiwa Etsuya (Dairoku), Goke Kanimitsu (Touken Ranbu)
Shirai Yusuke as “John” – Scarecrow (BUSTAFELLOWS), Luciole (Genso Manege), Eltcreed Valentine (Steam Prison), Watson (London Detective Mysteria), Amemura Ramuda (Hypnosis Mic), Garu (NU:Carnival), Ars (Period Cube), Usui Masumi (A3!), Miki Hiraizumi (Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome), Tsuzumi (Ken ga Kimi)
Natsumi Fujiwara as “Oberon“ – Shiki Toono (Tsukihime), Matsushita Outa (AI Somnium Files), Soga Asuma (ANONYMOUS:CODE), Glinda (OVER REQUIEMZ)
Saki Fujita as “Tia” – Hibari Tojo (Variable Barricade), Hatsune Miku (Hatsune Miku: Project Diva), Ymir (Attack on Titan), Seiko Kimura (Danganropa 3), Ruri Hijiribe (Durarara!!), Basho (Senran Kagura Peach Ball)
Naomi Iida as “Goneril“ – Queen Victoria (Code Realize), Evelina (Even if Tempest), Tara (Haruka 7), Sakai Tadatsugu (Sengoku Hime), Miwa Asahina (Brothers Conflict), Renoman (Desert Kingdom) Otoha Amamiya (Hiiro no Kakera – Shin Tamayorihime Denshou)
Ikumi Hasegawa as “Lily Bernstein” – Erica (EPHEMERAL), Setsu (GNOSIA), Riho (Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage), Ulrica (The Legend of Heroes), Ciaccona (Wuthering Waves), Arcueid Brunestud (Tsukihime), Tsumugi Hibiki (Ready or Not!), Subaru (LACKGIRL), Ginka Shinomiya (GINKA)
CHARACTERS AND ROUTES
Mistonia has seven routes total: 6 LI routes and 1 Truth Route. The game lets you start with Alfred, Lucas, and Linus. After clearing two of the three starter routes, Edward and Ascot’s routes will unlock. Once you finish either Edward or Ascot’s, John’s route becomes available. And finally, after clearing John’s route, the truth route unlocks as the game’s finale.
A key aspect of Mistonia’s story is how it gradually unveils major plot points that shape the overarching “who’s who” mystery of the game when you play in a certain order. So, if you want to experience the game with its revelations unfolding from the lightest to the heaviest spoilers, I highly recommend following this route order: Alfred → Lucas → Linus → Edward → Ascot → John → Truth.
This play-order allows the story’s twists and (at the same time), mystery-building flow smoothly all the way to the finale. On a side note, the devs have also shared their own soft recommended route order, which is quite similar to the one above. If you decide to follow their version, I’d definitely advise caution, as Ascot’s route contains some of the biggest spoilers in the game leading up to John’s. So if you’re someone who prefers to save the major reveals for later, it’s worth keeping that in mind.
That said, if you don’t mind spoilers early on, feel free to play whichever routes you prefer, just remember that the game does have certain route restrictions, so some paths won’t be available right away.
Walkthroughs:
Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- . All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.
⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings Violence, murder, mass murder, village destruction, death, blood, classism, discrimination against poor people, sexual manipulation, manipulation, gaslighting, multiple sexual partners, NTR/partner being stolen.ALFRED CRESWELL
- workaholic, hot & 30 🤭
Alfred is one of the heads of the Five Houses of Grand Albion, specifically the Creswell House, and a descendant of Spriggan. He is serious, strict, and stoic. Always thinking one step ahead, he approaches every situation, and decision logically.
Alfred is probably the route you’ll want to start first in the game, as the core of his story focuses on the political tension between the Queen and the country’s citizens. In a way, it’s a good route that expands on the Common route’s world-building, as well as familiarizing you with the different issues at hand in Grand Albion and how they are addressed or well… ignored by their grand ruler, the Queen.
Depending on how invested you are in the game’s *political* plot here, you may or may not find this route a drag. Personally, though, I quite liked it! (And that’s coming from someone who usually hates political palavers in otome games). It’s probably because I enjoyed the romance and the back-and-forth between Alfred and Aprose, the heroine.
Alfred is extremely pragmatic and logical in everything he does (and he stays consistent like this throughout the game). He’s always the one with a contingency plan for every single thing, and this route really highlights that trait of his. It’s kind of amusing how this mirrors Aprose, who also sort of tends to make backup plans for everything. Their personalities really complement each other (me thinks), and it’s fun watching them constantly try to one-up each other (at least in Aprose’s POV).😆 On a side note, this is also a decent route that highlights the heroine’s drive for revenge.
⬇️ SpoilersMy high spot of this route was definitely how likable Aprose is as MC. This is probably the route where she comes across as rather snappish or brusque toward her LI. I mean, she still has her fiery moments in other routes and with other guys, but she really embodies being ‘rough around the edges’ here, with Alfred. Perhaps this dynamic comes from both of them having reserved personalities, which sometimes makes them struggle to express what they truly feel? Idk, but it’s cute! I like that their chemistry sometimes is like:
Alfred: You.. like me..?
Aprose: Ew, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. I like you! 😠I esp love how Aprose whacks Alfred to sleep because the dude insists on working even though he’s sick and overfatigued, lol.😭 I also loved the bonding moments between Aprose, Evelyn, and Charlotte here! 🥺 it’s nice seeing Aprose find girlfriends she can chit-chat with about matters of the heart!🥺
This route can go from interesting to cliche, but I didn’t hate it. It’s a decent route for starters!
LUCAS SULLIVAN
- tsundere 🥺
- best boi!🤧
Lucas is the expected head of the Sullivan House and a descendant of the Will-o’-Wisp.
He’s a peculiar pessimist who shows little interest in the political affairs of the Five Houses, and his desire is to only to become a purefae. Though he’s a noble, he detests political strife and speaks to others with a cold, detached tone. He does, however, show a kinder side to those he’s close to although he can also become quite belligerent.I freaking love this route! 😭 First of, tsun tsun Ryota Suzuki, is an auto-biased-by-default! (cackles) But I was really floored by how this one even surpassed my expectations. The romance was so stinking good! The way the scenario in this route naturally set up and built the relationship between Lucas and Aprose was so perfect. I think it’s also probably one of the few routes in this title where the MC and LI’s bond just naturally developed organically, instead of the story enforcing it.🥹
Lucas was also a really endearing character.🥺🤲 You can tell he’s always thinking of Aprose’s best interests. He’s sincere and kind, and even outside his route, he continues to support the heroine, even if he doesn’t always explicitly show it. His “Astray” End was also one of my favorite endings in this game for reasons! 🤭Definitely a great LI and a great route all around! 10/10 would replay it again!
⬇️ SpoilersI am in the clouds! Lucas is such an amazing LI! But the route itself was also pretty good, albeit predictable, but very enjoyable nonetheless! I loved the little story nuance where each of the servants at Bernstein Mansion were dispatched to the Sullivans one by one, only to come back either fired or they personally quit after 24 hours. 😂(laughs) Poor little Charlotte! It also made me cackle how Evelyn and Charlotte described Lucas to Aprose as some sort of deranged weirdo who yells and throws things at the wall in his lonesome. Like, damn, that’s a wild piece of work right there! Lmao.😂 (Not knowing that the real reason he does this is actually kind of heartbreaking.)🥲
Contrary to Alfred’s route, Aprose was also very different here with Lucas. Both men contributed to the murder of her family and the burning of her village. The only key difference is that Lucas was unconsciously manipulated by the Queen, while Alfred was fully aware of what he was doing when he cast the barrier that prevented the villagers from escaping. However, Alfred did it because it was the Queen’s direct order and he wanted to protect his house, showing his logical yet passive nature, willing to yield to a threat he had no leverage over. It makes sense, then, that Aprose was more lenient toward Lucas, who was essentially a puppet during the Eltbeak disaster, while Alfred had a choice but was forced to participate.
On the plus side, this route probably has one of the best romances in the game. I adore the little gestures of love, like Lucas giving her hand cream because he feels guilty about the housework she has to do in his mansion, or giving her leeway and free time under the guise of instructing her to “only do certain chores during the day,” awkwardly having her make tea for his “flighty visitors” (read: he doesn’t really have any), only for Aprose to stand in and drink the tea with him. It’s also hilarious how Aprose caught on to his little BS early on but decides to go with the flow anyway, because she enjoys his company too! Oh…my heart is full!😭
His bad ending, where he becomes a bit OOC and takes on the role of being Aprose’s wannabe lover while she’s married to Alfred, definitely clicked all my guilty pleasure 3P boxes! Like, what the heck, yes please!!🤤
P.S. The paint splatters on his sprite hands was such a nice detail!
LINUS WARD
- sunshine boy but….👀
- not a genki
- my actual stance on Linus
Linus is the next head of House Ward, descendants of the Cu Sith. He has such a bright and friendly personality that even his childhood friend, Edward describes him as someone who’s like a ray of sunshine. He’s deeply loyal to his clan and also devoted to the Queen, a trait inherited from his Cu Sith blood. Once he immerses himself with work, he tends to forget to sleep or eat. He still can’t seem to let go of his first love, and romance plays a passive role in his life.
Linus is another character who, by chance, I ended up really loving (to the point of brainrotting).😂 I honestly didn’t think I’d enjoy this LI as much, but here we are. It’s kind of interesting because, on the surface, Linus seems like your typical vibrant LI (cute, sweet, cheerful… you know the type!) But dont be fooled! His route brings a lot more to the table than you’d expect. Personally, this worked really well for me (hence my brainrotting lol), but I can definitely see how it might not land the same way for others. 👀 Also, Umeda, his VA was unbelievable! I hope we get to hear him voicing more otome LIs in the future!
⬇️ SpoilersLinus is…….. QUITE SCARY, ISN’T HE??? This route kind of lowkey bordered a bit on red flag territory. At first, you’d think he’s harmless with his labrador retriever energy, but nope! fake genki alert! He’s actually one of the most dangerous targets for Aprose because of his Cu Sith blood. Aprose even recognizes how sharp Linus is as a tactician. Even when she tried to play innocent after getting caught red-handed, he was still on to her like a hawk. And was never dissuaded on her feigning ignorance. What an interesting character! Tbh its his terrifying side that made me love him more.
I also really like that Aprose isn’t an airhead about the obvious things. Like the fact that she realizes she was Linus’s childhood friend right away, instead of the story dragging it out. She was also such a good critical thinker here, because after realizing how dangerous it was to deal with Linus and the Ward lackeys, she treads back for the time being and carefully rethinks her actions, and later on decided that the only way to get the upper hand on Linus was to use lust. OOOH SNAP! YES QUEEN GO SEDUCE YOUR MAN! The woman has balls of steel honestly!
I also didn’t think lovers-to-enemies was even a thing but I’VE COME TO LOVE THIS TROPE. I thought Linus’s route utilizes the trope pretty well that I was living for every heated exchange between Aprose and Linus all the way to the end.😂 This route just kept me awake! Ha!
My only complaint was that I don’t think they really banked on the tension between Aprose and Linus’s dynamic enough? I feel like they could’ve gotten away with it being more dramatic than it is, maybe commit to Linus’s red flag tendencies, cause his route had so much potential to go all the way. I just think this route needed a bit more oomph or a little more push on the angsty side to make it really satisfying, in my opinion. Still, I definitely enjoyed it more than most of the others!
Lastly, Linus totally pissed me off in other routes. Like, come on, my dude, get off the Queen’s ass! I get that it’s your Cu Sith blood talking, but gosh, don’t make me hate you man!😩
EDWARD BERNSTEIN
- soft
- daddy issues
Edward is the next head of House Bernstein, descendants of the Sylph. He’s honest and fair, refuses to conform to Grand Albion’s classist ideals, and always treats everyone as an equal. He believes that those with power should help those who lack the same privileges. Polite to everyone regardless of status, Edward also has a strong dislike for conflict.
This route was… maybe a little too all over the place, if I’m being honest. I didn’t dislike it, but at the same time, it wasn’t one of the stronger ones in terms of plot and narrative pacing. Aprose, wasn’t at her best here either. Unlike in previous routes, her drive for revenge was more toned down, and perhaps it’s influenced by Edward’s kind-hearted nature?
Speaking of which, what really redeems this route for me is Edward himself. What a soft and genuinely kind-hearted guy! I could never bring myself to dislike him. Plus, his VA is one of my comfort seiyuus!🥺 Some might find him too vanilla or boring, but I just love how level-headed and consistently kind he is (maybe even a little too kind). Edward’s story also unravels some key pieces of the game, so I appreciated the reveals thrown in here as well. I’d definitely do this route first before Ascot’s, otherwise, Edward’s plot-revelations won’t have as much impact.
⬇️ SpoilersUnlike the previous routes, where there’s a thread of tension stemming from Aprose’s drive for revenge against her LI, Edward’s route feels kind of different, in a sense that he actively tries to prevent Aprose from being consumed by her revenge, sharing her burden in a positive way and helping her heal. I liked this approach actually and I thought it was very true to Edward’s character. I just wished this theme had been executed a bit better. The last chapters of Ed’s route just had a lot of things happening that its easy to miss important details due to that. The story however, does give you enough space to process each plot point before the next twist or reveal happen so I guess there’s also that.
GOOD ENDING: I cackled when Aprose called out her son, but also said she’s preggy with another baby! Like DAYUMMM BRO! It’s only been 3 years (?) BUT EDWARD SURE GOT TO BUSINESS RIGHT AWAY! LOL
As for Aprose getting her revenge, it’s actually in Edward’s bad end that things get juicy! Idk about you, but as a Linus enjoyer, I looooove Edward’s ‘astray’ end (bad end). It’s Linus who helps Aprose exact her revenge on Edward and eventually the Queen. Thinking back, it was also Linus who helps Aprose execute her revenge in HIS OWN bad end too! Now, isnt he just perfectly consistent with his role as a “hound”? Ha!
For Edmund and his backstory… Look, I can admit the dude’s a hot DILF, okay! I even liked how deranged and delulu he is with his obsession over Aprose’s mom. But man, he’s such a classist and a bootlicker to the Queen, which is definitely a turn-off. I didnt liked him at all. The way he treats Edward, his own son, is completely reprehensible! What an absolute trash.
ASCOT LINDELL
- “i can fix him”
- Ascot McRaunchy Lindell
- literally puts the ass in Ascot
Ascot is the representative head of House Lindell, descendants of the Puca. A handsome young man with a reputation as a womanizer in high society. A lot of women flock to him and want his company. Despite his responsibilities as head of his house, he does as he pleases and, most of the time, comes across as unserious.
I… don’t know how I feel about Ascot, tbh. He is an a$$cot for sure! Admittedly, I started this route with a grin on my face. Like dead serious, who could resist Fukujun’s eccentric teasings, hmm? But that grin almost instantly turned into furrowed brows because this route was an absolute hot mess!🔥🗑️👌
For one, (after clearing his story) I could kind of see what the writers were going for here (read spoilers to expound this point). But something about how the route was written, paced, and pieced together just completely threw me off. By the end, I couldn’t take Ascot’s route seriously. I mean, I didn’t hate it, and I still enjoyed all its absurdities if anything. I guess it’s one of those routes that’s so bad, it’s actually good!🤣
⬇️ SpoilersSo I think the devs really took the “Puca” reference from Shakespearean literature to heart when they wrote Ascot’s character. The Puca, a mythical creature known for being whimsical, a trickster, and having a flip-floppy attitude, certainly reflects Ascot’s personality down to a T, no? It’s exactly how his route plays out too. One moment, he toys with the heroine’s feelings, and the next, he’s moving mountains for her. Since he’s also a purefae, it explains why he’s pretty selfish and only thinks of himself, just like the other purefaes in the game, Oberon and Tia.
Aprose kind of annoyed me in this route too. She wasn’t as sharp and thorough as she was in Alfred, Lucas, or Linus’s routes. It felt like she lost the fire in her, and has completely let Ascot run her around his fingertips! But what I really could not get behind though was the fact that Ascot was just nonchalantly galivanting around, draining Aprose’s life force, AND KNOWING ABOUT IT, but didn’t give two shits because she “seemed fine”. Like, what the hell dude? What do you take Aprose for? Free life support?! 😡 It’s such a dick move honestly! Then again, the story kind of gets away with it by going, “He’s a purefae, he’ll say things that are downright heartless, with zero consideration for others, not even the heroine.” So…. yeah… I’m not sure if I’m liking this route at all.😒
It didn’t help that this route dragged out so many plot points for no reason, like for example: the changelings. I also thought Riley’s subplot would be a major twist in this route, but it mostly felt like it fell into the background. And don’t get me started on the scene at the Queen’s tomb with Alsie’s body. All the dilly-dallying in the previous chapters just to get to this scene was such a mess! But hey, the route seems to get away with it by throwing in spicy scenes out of nowhere, so I guess it’s forgiven!😜
Lastly, the bad ends were so raunchy. It’s funny that I can’t even hate it!🙈
JOHN
- the goat
- wears Burberry and designer perfume
John is Aprose’s attendant and childhood friend who diligently accomplishes any task without error. He is very skilled in both literary arts and combat, and was the one who taught Aprose basic self-defense when she was younger. He’s very cautious and studies his surroundings as he aids Aprose in her quest for revenge.
John is definitely a goated character… too bad his route is not! It was however, a very interesting run because it didn’t follow the structure of the previous LI routes, Ascot’s aside. I’m a huge fan of Shiraimu, so maybe this is my biased brain talking, but I love John.🥺 He’s a great character, in fact! Smart, capable, badass in combat, and always able to accomplish whatever tasks Aprose asks of him with ease, no questions asked. He’s always there for the heroine, come hell or high water, and I think he had a really solid character development arc in this game. I can’t really fault him for the fact that his story’s pacing completely took a nosedive.
⬇️ SpoilersI can’t believe we’ve reached an era where an otome LI is actually named John Doe. 😭
Anyway, I actually really loved this route, mostly because I liked John’s character, so I didn’t care that the pacing was off. It was kind of nice how the game added that eerie prenotion where the heroine would feel a chill run down her spine every time John looked at her. It was an obvious hint that it had to do with Oberon. There was so much foreshadowing in the earlier routes that you could pretty much connect the dots and realize John was part of Oberon. I mean, they pretty much looked the same from the start, right? That was already a big giveaway right from the get-go!
John was also one of the strongest characters in the game, though his powers seem to vary depending on how much Oberon allows him to use. He is technically, a purefae just like Ascot, Oberon, and Tia, so he wields the same strength that purefaes do. I kind of got the sense he was someone not to be messed with when he defeated old Nick, Edmund’s butler, who was also known to be the goat back in the day!🤣
I did feel that John was kind of shafted in the game though. IDK, the writers must’ve hated him or something because he really went through so much suffering for having to conceal his identity for so long and probably would’ve taken it to his grave in the other routes. I just feel bad for him. Poor Guy.😞 Clearly, he didn’t want to betray Aprose, but in his case, it was the nature of his existence as Oberon’s avatar, a literal NOBODY created to aid the heroine, and in the long run, betray her in the process. This route was kind of angsty, though I think they could’ve executed the angst better, which is pretty much a common problem that I have with the game.
On a different note, I can’t believe the other LIs get so many sprite variations with elaborate outfits, and then you have John with his sprite variation of: a waiter outfit, 1 black dress shirt, 1 dirty rag shirt.😭 Like, damn, give the man some fancy fits too! Well, at least he’s rocking Burberry in his regular sprite!
APROSE E. RANDOLPH
- cant cook 😭
- Aprose to the haters
After dealing with a few disappointing MCs this year, playing Aprose was such a delight! I love this heroine. She’s always guarded, highly proactive, and very efficient. I can’t really stress enough how efficient this MC is. She really be doing A LOT! -like, finishing an all-day chore in just an hour, running around spying on LIs, chasing pick-pocketers, fighting bad guys, climbing trees, doing embroidery…among many, many other tasks, all while sporting her infamous poker face!
She’s also a really good critical thinker and 99% of the time has predominantly navigated the story on her own, with very little help (maybe a bit from John and Goneril). She has a backup plan for everything and can think on her feet in perilous situations.
I guess the only thing she can’t do, and is terrible at, is cooking! The girl can’t season food to save her life! 😭But she’s so oblivious to how bad her dishes are that it’s actually hilarious. We love an overconfident queen who thinks she’s Gordon Ramsay!😂
I also really loved how stern and uptight Aprose is at first, but as the story progresses, you can slowly see her walls coming down. What’s great is that she reflects on all her experiences, both old and new, which makes her growth very satisfying, to me. I also really appreciated her bonding moments with the girlies Evelyn and Charlotte. 🥺 It’s really nice to see this more human side of her when she’s with them, the part that isn’t too focused on revenge. I think Aprose really needed this type of connection, girlfriends she could confide in, and let her guard down so she can be more of herself. The friendship she has with the girls is such a lovely, heartwarming layer to her character.🥹
Perhaps my little quibble with the entire game is that Aprose’s drive and motivation for revenge greatly vary in every route. She sort of lost her fire in the last three routes (me thinks). In contrast, she was much more on top of things and determined with the first three LI routes, and was completely dead set on what she wanted/ willing to do anything to achieve her goals. I guess I could chalk this up to inconsistent writing rather than paint it as a flaw of the heroine.🤷♀️
SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION
The shard exploration can be a mixed bag. Initially, I did like how it lets you roam around the Bernstein mansion, investigate different areas, collect clues, and eavesdrop on conversations between characters and other NPCs. But the repetition of these segments quickly became tiring for me. Especially the last exploration. I think the fourth one took forever to finish. It wouldn’t have hurt to cut the exploration segments in half, as I feel it was the only thing dragging the common route for hours.
PROS:
- Mouth movements, blinking sprites
- Heroine’s Name Customization
- Chapter Select
- Flowchart
- DICTIONARY section
- Scrapbook – (these are short stories that unlock after finishing certain endings)
- Love Catch and Status Bar
- SKIP to the Next Choice function
- Skip READ function
- Quick Save/Quick Load
- CG Gallery
- Music Library
- Movie Library
- Backlog and Rewind function
CONS:
- Heroine not voiced
- The 2nd – 4th exploration segments cannot be skipped.
- Localization has a lot of typos.
TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAjx7WoCrM0
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- took me around 60–65 hours to finish. The common route, with all its exploration segments, took roughly 3–4 hours, while each love interest route ran about 5–6 hours to reach an ending, give or take. I also played mostly in docked mode for the majority of my playthroughs and had it on auto-play most of the time.
Aprose’s Journey: Came for Revenge, Stayed for Love
While the story introduces the theme “revenge”, what makes it interesting to me is how the heroine actually navigates her own desires and emotions for revenge. You see, not all revenge is cold; it can take many forms, whether grandiose or subtle. And its kinda interesting that the game explores those nuances through Aprose’s journey.
It’s also curious, because as Aprose grows as a person, makes friends, spends time with her LI, and develops her feelings for them, she will also start to question herself. Is this really what I want? There’s that constant push and pull within her, so in turn, sometimes she’s determined to see her plans through, and other times her resolve wavers. I think I really enjoyed this part of the protagonist actually, because it makes her feel so human. Sometimes we think revenge will give us closure, but when we’re finally facing it, we realize it’s not what we truly want.
The sentiment I take from all of this is that Aprose’s pursuit of revenge is closely tied to her path of healing…and I think this reinforces the game’s underlying message “that love can heal even the most painful scars.” After finding and accepting love, Aprose gradually lets go of the hatred in her heart, allowing herself to slowly heal and move forward.
Tangy Bad Ends
That’s not to say our girl doesn’t get her cold revenge served in the game, because oh, they definitely happen! And you’ll find them all in these juicy BAD ENDINGS. It’s funny how the game is cloaked in shiny glittery fairy dust, but the bad ends can really hit hard with some seriously dark stuff when you least expect it!
It surprised me even by how much I enjoyed all of them. I’m normally someone who only does bad ends out of due diligence of being a completionist 😂(hey, can’t be the only one!). Maybe curiosity got the better of me, because I’ve seemingly picked up the habit of looking forward to unlocking the “Astray” and “Clown” endings in this game.🙈These endings can spiral into something that’ll get you clutching your pearls to scenes that are just outrageously raunchy. The raunchy endings were a hoot ngl! Admittedly, I enjoyed every single one of them.🤭
I love Aprose! What a QUEEN~💅Shakespearean References and Celtic Myth Inspired Characters
Another aspect of Mistonia that also caught my curiosity was its rich Shakespearean influence. So many of the characters feel directly drawn from Elizabethan culture, like say, Oberon and Titania (Tia), the regal king and queen of fairies, while others are heavily inspired by Celtic myths like the mischievous Púca, the ethereal sylphs, the Cu Sith, Will-o’-Wisp, etc. I like and appreciate this because, in a way, the writers didn’t just pull these ideas out of their a**es. LOL. They were clearly working within a theme. And I think there was even a sense of intent behind how they wrote the characters according to their original references, which, after I looked into them, made me go: “Ahh, so that’s why…” (cough cough Ascot cough)
Below, I’ve listed some of the references I’ve compiled and compared them to how the developers adapted their characters based on these myths. Keep in mind, these contain spoilers for the game, so click at your own risk!
⬇️ Shakespearean Characters in Mistonia (Spoilers!!)Oberon – King of the fairies, oversees the fairy realm.
Tia (Queen Titania) – queen of the fairy realm.
Also, probably the most common name for the ‘Queen of fairies’ in any fantasy lore. We also see a different version of her in Cafe Enchante.lol 🤭
The Púca – A mischievous, shape-shifting creature from Celtic folklore. A trickster and unpredictable spirit, known to tempt and play tricks on humans. Often takes the form of a horse with glowing eyes, but can also appear as a goat, dog, or cat.
As much as this annoyed me, this is probably the reason why Ascot was so flip-floppy in his route and was so unpredictable all the way to the very end.
Cu Sith A massive, mystical hound known for its otherworldly strength. The most loyal among the fae servants. Rarely acts independently and follows the orders of the fae or their rulers.
Will-o’Wisp – A ghostly light from that leads travelers astray. In another folklore, Will-o’-the-Wisps are believed to be the souls of the dead who cannot find eternal rest because of evil deeds they committed while alive.
Sylph – An ethereal spirit of air, generally depicted as beautiful and graceful.
Spriggan – small, supernaturally strong fairy-goblins that guard treasures (hidden gold, jewels, ancient relics). They also protect mines from greedy humans, and can grow huge when defending their territory.
Alfred probably has the loosest connection to the actual Spriggan of folklore. The game takes creative liberty by portraying the Spriggan House as skilled in crafting weapons and able to manifest magical barriers using the power of stones.Perhaps this barrier ability is inspired by the way traditional Spriggans were said to grow to enormous size when defending their territory.Aprose| Tamora, the Queen of Goths – Aprose is likely inspired by Tamora, the Queen of the Goths in Titus Andronicus. Tamora is one of the fiercest, most vengeful, and ruthless she-villains in English Literature. Her method was visceral, and gruesome, cementing her status as one of Shakespeare’s most horrifying villains.
Of course, this isn’t a 1:1 comparison. Otherwise, Mistonia might end up with an M rating on the ESRB.Lily Bernstein| Regan (King Lear) – Lily or the “White Lily” in Mistonia is likely inspired by Regan in King Lear, another viscous she-villain in the Shakespearean lore. She lacks compassion entirely and shows no remorse of her actions. She was killed by Goneril (King Lear) at the end.
Just like Lily, Regan was also willing to betray and use her husband to achieve her goals.Goneril | Goneril (King Lear) lol you cant name your character “Goneril” and expect people not to get SUS! 😂 The Goneril in Mistonia is probably loosely based on the real Goneril from King Lear.
In Shakespeare, Goneril was also the one who killed Regan (the character I compared to Lily).NOTE: I’ll probably add more examples to this later, as the game clearly takes heavy inspiration from many of Shakespeare’s works. If you have suggestions for other character references, feel free to drop them in the comments, and I’ll try to add them here as well.
As for the overall story, I actually like that the game has a plot structure where each LI has, in one way or another, a connection to the heroine’s tragedy. And if you play the routes in a certain order, the story kind of just unpacks little by little on its own. Each route also contributes something that shapes the overarching plot in the game. Highlight for minor spoilers >>> I‘d say Alfred, Lucas, Linus and Edward’s routes give you more insights on the Eltbeak incident, while Ascot and John’s routes explore more of the game’s fantasy setting.<<<
This title, to me, was pretty solid, thematically. It stayed true to what it initially set out to be and didn’t try to become something it wasn’t. Although, I do have to say that the execution of some routes and certain storylines fell a bit short of my expectations. The routes definitely vary from being great, to mediocre, to “what the heck is even going on?” 😭 There were also plenty of plot inconsistencies that, at one point, I just kind of gave up, turned off my brain, and went “well, okay, fine...”😅 So yeah, if you’re very particular about plot consistencies and a stickler for pacing, some of these routes will tick you off for sure!
I’d say the characters were definitely the heart of this game and what kept me invested all the way to the very end of the finale. I loved the main cast, and I thought the side characters played important roles in the story as well. Aprose, the MC, was astounding and quickly earned a spot in my fav MC shrine‘!
As for the LIs, Lucas snatches “best boi” title in my book! I also thought his route was among the best-written in the game. Linus came barreling in second place, and this actually surprised me! To tell you the truth, I brainrotted on Linus for a few days before moving on…🫠 Idk, something about the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” trope always gets my knees buckled. I’m such a sucker for this trope it’s not even funny!😭 John was an amazing LI as well, though I wish his route could’ve been paced better. On the other hand, I had a love-hate relationship with Ascot and his route, but by the end of the game, my opinion of his character hopped onto the more favorable side.🙂↕️ (thankfully!)
💖LI RANKING: Lucas > Linus > John > Edward = Alfred > Ascot
📝ROUTE RANKING: Lucas > Linus > Alfred >>>> John > Edward > Ascot
For the romance, I found the game decently romantic. I was smitten by Aprose’s chemistry with her guys.🥺 The sweet, sugary moments between them were also woven naturally into the plot, which kept me glued to the story the whole time. I also loved that this title utilizes LI rivalries in every single route! It really cranks up my love-triangle guilty pleasures, which is also why I couldn’t bring myself to skip a single bad ending. (cackles)🫣😂 And as for the spice, there are a couple of suggestive scenes, some even with accompanying CGs. So I think anyone who loves a little extra heat will definitely get their fix in this game.
Yes, I shall pour all my *HONEST FEELINGS* in your room, my prince… 👅🤭Do I recommend this game? YES.
I was actually very taken and fully immersed throughout my entire playthrough of this title. The plot wasn’t grand, and it certainly had its share of glaring flaws at times, but Aprose, the LIs, and the rest of the cast made this game truly a worthwhile experience. I’m also a fantasy-girlie, so this was an easy read for me.I definitely think you will enjoy Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- if you: love fantasy/dark-fantasy settings, mysteries and revenge plots, a capable MC who’s determined to achieve her goals, a mixed cast of lovable and *twisted* love interests you’ll want to add to your collection, Shakespearean nods scattered throughout the game, and some really (emotionally) beautiful art that hits you right in the feels! If you tick all these boxes above, you’re in for a real treat with this otome title! Definitely don’t even think about passing this game up!
***That said, I will actually be partaking in Otomate’s Winter Market merch war this year. Gotta get my hands on those new Mistonia merch! All import tariffs be damned! 😤
#aksysGames #MistoniaReview #MistoniaTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeReview #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelightReview #nintendoSwitch #otomate #OtomeGameReview
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Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- Review (Nintendo Switch)
Release Date: November 13, 2025 (North America)
Developers: Otomate
Publishers: Aksys Games
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)SYNOPSIS
A fairy-tale filled with love and fixation, woven together by those who carry the blood of the fairies. The story takes place in Grand Albion, a kingdom thriving under the rule of the fairy queen. It is toward the end of the 19th century, an era where light and shadow coexist.
Our heroine Aprose, having lost everything eight years ago, swore to take revenge on those responsible.
Now, 8 years have passed. Whilst hiding her identity, she begins her search for the truth as she works at a mansion belonging to a potential target for her vengeance. What secrets will she unearth upon her chance encounters with the distinguished noblemen who protect the kingdom? What path will she choose…?
And so begins the revenge tragedy of a girl bound by a hapless fate.
ART AND MUSIC
Director: Mao SekiScenario: Satomi Nakayama, Izumi Koizumi, Akira Natsuno, YuzukiArtist: Karin SuzushiroBGM: Jun Ichikawa (Main Composer), Yoshitake Wada (Sub), Hiroshi Akechi (Sub), Kaito Furukawa (Sub)OP Theme: Tastuya Yano (Composer), Tak Miyazawa (Arrangement), FRAM (Artist)ED Theme: Asaka (Artisit & Lyrics), Hiraoki Suzuki (Composer)Mistonia’s character designs were done by Japanese artist/illustrator Karin Suzuhiro, known for their work on otome games such as Cendrillon palikA and Meiji Haikara. They also previously worked as assisting-artist for titles like Norn9 and Charade Maniacs.
The chara-designs for Mistonia were stunning btw! Heck, I looooved them! There were so many different outfit variations too!🤩 Plus, I feel like the CGs really convey the characters’ emotions so well! I am beyond pleased! I also have a soft spot for this game’s OST, especially the BGMs. No surprise there, since it’s by the same studio behind Virche’s soundtrack! If you’re someone who’s also an otoge OST-enthusiast, Aksys Games offers a bundle that includes both the game and the soundtrack, so definitely grab that if you’re interested!
Voice Acting
Yuichiro Umehara as “Alfred Creswell” – Paschalia (Radiant Tale), Serge (Genso Manege), Kohei Minato (Sympathy Kiss), Benkei (Birushana), Canus Espada (Café Enchanté), Enishi (Jack Jeanne), Demento (Period Cube), Shingen Takeda (IkeSen), Sage (Nekopara Catboys Paradise), Rain (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Oochidori (Touken Ranbu)
Ryota Suzuki as “Lucas Sullivan” – Ash (Desperadrops), Koyo (9RIP), Ginnosuke (Him, the Smile and bloom), Yona (Tengoku Struggle), Kiito Minorikawa (Jack Jeanne), Trey Clover (TWST), Ink (Gunka Haita Neko), Caster (FGO), Mizuro Tamaki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Shuichiro Umeda as “Linus Ward” – Haiji Yu (Kazura Uta), Akira Tendou (Zoom100), Kanato Kamio (Star Melody), Hikaru (The Summer Hikaru Died), Jougorou Kobato (Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary), Sable (The Dawn of the Witch), Koga (9RIP Sequel), Mitsuki Oshino (UN:LOGICAL)
Atsushi Tamaru as “Edward Bernstein” – Ichigo Hitofuri (Touken Ranbu), Tenya Minami (Him, the Smile and bloom), Kasuga (Variable Barricade), Tsukioka Tsumugi (A3!), Kohei Natsume (Kitty Love), Semi Tokitaka (Dairoku), Azul Ashengrotto (TWST)
Jun Fukuyama as “Ascot Lindell” – Karatachi (Illusion of Itehari), Mizuchi (Hana Awase), Tomomori (Birushana), Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis), Mozu (BUSTFELLOWS), Goro Fujita (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Liberta (Arcana Famiglia), Rin (Togainu no Chi), Aido (Vampire Knight), Tokiwa Etsuya (Dairoku), Goke Kanimitsu (Touken Ranbu)
Shirai Yusuke as “John” – Scarecrow (BUSTAFELLOWS), Luciole (Genso Manege), Eltcreed Valentine (Steam Prison), Watson (London Detective Mysteria), Amemura Ramuda (Hypnosis Mic), Garu (NU:Carnival), Ars (Period Cube), Usui Masumi (A3!), Miki Hiraizumi (Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome), Tsuzumi (Ken ga Kimi)
Natsumi Fujiwara as “Oberon“ – Shiki Toono (Tsukihime), Matsushita Outa (AI Somnium Files), Soga Asuma (ANONYMOUS:CODE), Glinda (OVER REQUIEMZ)
Saki Fujita as “Tia” – Hibari Tojo (Variable Barricade), Hatsune Miku (Hatsune Miku: Project Diva), Ymir (Attack on Titan), Seiko Kimura (Danganropa 3), Ruri Hijiribe (Durarara!!), Basho (Senran Kagura Peach Ball)
Naomi Iida as “Goneril“ – Queen Victoria (Code Realize), Evelina (Even if Tempest), Tara (Haruka 7), Sakai Tadatsugu (Sengoku Hime), Miwa Asahina (Brothers Conflict), Renoman (Desert Kingdom) Otoha Amamiya (Hiiro no Kakera – Shin Tamayorihime Denshou)
Ikumi Hasegawa as “Lily Bernstein” – Erica (EPHEMERAL), Setsu (GNOSIA), Riho (Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage), Ulrica (The Legend of Heroes), Ciaccona (Wuthering Waves), Arcueid Brunestud (Tsukihime), Tsumugi Hibiki (Ready or Not!), Subaru (LACKGIRL), Ginka Shinomiya (GINKA)
CHARACTERS AND ROUTES
Mistonia has seven routes total: 6 LI routes and 1 Truth Route. The game lets you start with Alfred, Lucas, and Linus. After clearing two of the three starter routes, Edward and Ascot’s routes will unlock. Once you finish either Edward or Ascot’s, John’s route becomes available. And finally, after clearing John’s route, the truth route unlocks as the game’s finale.
A key aspect of Mistonia’s story is how it gradually unveils major plot points that shape the overarching “who’s who” mystery of the game when you play in a certain order. So, if you want to experience the game with its revelations unfolding from the lightest to the heaviest spoilers, I highly recommend following this route order: Alfred → Lucas → Linus → Edward → Ascot → John → Truth.
This play-order allows the story’s twists and (at the same time), mystery-building flow smoothly all the way to the finale. On a side note, the devs have also shared their own soft recommended route order, which is quite similar to the one above. If you decide to follow their version, I’d definitely advise caution, as Ascot’s route contains some of the biggest spoilers in the game leading up to John’s. So if you’re someone who prefers to save the major reveals for later, it’s worth keeping that in mind.
That said, if you don’t mind spoilers early on, feel free to play whichever routes you prefer, just remember that the game does have certain route restrictions, so some paths won’t be available right away.
Walkthroughs:
Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- . All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.
⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings Violence, murder, mass murder, village destruction, death, blood, classism, discrimination against poor people, sexual manipulation, manipulation, gaslighting, multiple sexual partners, NTR/partner being stolen.ALFRED CRESWELL
- workaholic, hot & 30 🤭
Alfred is one of the heads of the Five Houses of Grand Albion, specifically the Creswell House, and a descendant of Spriggan. He is serious, strict, and stoic. Always thinking one step ahead, he approaches every situation, and decision logically.
Alfred is probably the route you’ll want to start first in the game, as the core of his story focuses on the political tension between the Queen and the country’s citizens. In a way, it’s a good route that expands on the Common route’s world-building, as well as familiarizing you with the different issues at hand in Grand Albion and how they are addressed or well… ignored by their grand ruler, the Queen.
Depending on how invested you are in the game’s *political* plot here, you may or may not find this route a drag. Personally, though, I quite liked it! (And that’s coming from someone who usually hates political palavers in otome games). It’s probably because I enjoyed the romance and the back-and-forth between Alfred and Aprose, the heroine.
Alfred is extremely pragmatic and logical in everything he does (and he stays consistent like this throughout the game). He’s always the one with a contingency plan for every single thing, and this route really highlights that trait of his. It’s kind of amusing how this mirrors Aprose, who also sort of tends to make backup plans for everything. Their personalities really complement each other (me thinks), and it’s fun watching them constantly try to one-up each other (at least in Aprose’s POV).😆 On a side note, this is also a decent route that highlights the heroine’s drive for revenge.
⬇️ SpoilersMy high spot of this route was definitely how likable Aprose is as MC. This is probably the route where she comes across as rather snappish or brusque toward her LI. I mean, she still has her fiery moments in other routes and with other guys, but she really embodies being ‘rough around the edges’ here, with Alfred. Perhaps this dynamic comes from both of them having reserved personalities, which sometimes makes them struggle to express what they truly feel? Idk, but it’s cute! I like that their chemistry sometimes is like:
Alfred: You.. like me..?
Aprose: Ew, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. I like you! 😠I esp love how Aprose whacks Alfred to sleep because the dude insists on working even though he’s sick and overfatigued, lol.😭 I also loved the bonding moments between Aprose, Evelyn, and Charlotte here! 🥺 it’s nice seeing Aprose find girlfriends she can chit-chat with about matters of the heart!🥺
This route can go from interesting to cliche, but I didn’t hate it. It’s a decent route for starters!
LUCAS SULLIVAN
- tsundere 🥺
- best boi!🤧
Lucas is the expected head of the Sullivan House and a descendant of the Will-o’-Wisp.
He’s a peculiar pessimist who shows little interest in the political affairs of the Five Houses, and his desire is to only to become a purefae. Though he’s a noble, he detests political strife and speaks to others with a cold, detached tone. He does, however, show a kinder side to those he’s close to although he can also become quite belligerent.I freaking love this route! 😭 First of, tsun tsun Ryota Suzuki, is an auto-biased-by-default! (cackles) But I was really floored by how this one even surpassed my expectations. The romance was so stinking good! The way the scenario in this route naturally set up and built the relationship between Lucas and Aprose was so perfect. I think it’s also probably one of the few routes in this title where the MC and LI’s bond just naturally developed organically, instead of the story enforcing it.🥹
Lucas was also a really endearing character.🥺🤲 You can tell he’s always thinking of Aprose’s best interests. He’s sincere and kind, and even outside his route, he continues to support the heroine, even if he doesn’t always explicitly show it. His “Astray” End was also one of my favorite endings in this game for reasons! 🤭Definitely a great LI and a great route all around! 10/10 would replay it again!
⬇️ SpoilersI am in the clouds! Lucas is such an amazing LI! But the route itself was also pretty good, albeit predictable, but very enjoyable nonetheless! I loved the little story nuance where each of the servants at Bernstein Mansion were dispatched to the Sullivans one by one, only to come back either fired or they personally quit after 24 hours. 😂(laughs) Poor little Charlotte! It also made me cackle how Evelyn and Charlotte described Lucas to Aprose as some sort of deranged weirdo who yells and throws things at the wall in his lonesome. Like, damn, that’s a wild piece of work right there! Lmao.😂 (Not knowing that the real reason he does this is actually kind of heartbreaking.)🥲
Contrary to Alfred’s route, Aprose was also very different here with Lucas. Both men contributed to the murder of her family and the burning of her village. The only key difference is that Lucas was unconsciously manipulated by the Queen, while Alfred was fully aware of what he was doing when he cast the barrier that prevented the villagers from escaping. However, Alfred did it because it was the Queen’s direct order and he wanted to protect his house, showing his logical yet passive nature, willing to yield to a threat he had no leverage over. It makes sense, then, that Aprose was more lenient toward Lucas, who was essentially a puppet during the Eltbeak disaster, while Alfred had a choice but was forced to participate.
On the plus side, this route probably has one of the best romances in the game. I adore the little gestures of love, like Lucas giving her hand cream because he feels guilty about the housework she has to do in his mansion, or giving her leeway and free time under the guise of instructing her to “only do certain chores during the day,” awkwardly having her make tea for his “flighty visitors” (read: he doesn’t really have any), only for Aprose to stand in and drink the tea with him. It’s also hilarious how Aprose caught on to his little BS early on but decides to go with the flow anyway, because she enjoys his company too! Oh…my heart is full!😭
His bad ending, where he becomes a bit OOC and takes on the role of being Aprose’s wannabe lover while she’s married to Alfred, definitely clicked all my guilty pleasure 3P boxes! Like, what the heck, yes please!!🤤
P.S. The paint splatters on his sprite hands was such a nice detail!
LINUS WARD
- sunshine boy but….👀
- not a genki
- my actual stance on Linus
Linus is the next head of House Ward, descendants of the Cu Sith. He has such a bright and friendly personality that even his childhood friend, Edward describes him as someone who’s like a ray of sunshine. He’s deeply loyal to his clan and also devoted to the Queen, a trait inherited from his Cu Sith blood. Once he immerses himself with work, he tends to forget to sleep or eat. He still can’t seem to let go of his first love, and romance plays a passive role in his life.
Linus is another character who, by chance, I ended up really loving (to the point of brainrotting).😂 I honestly didn’t think I’d enjoy this LI as much, but here we are. It’s kind of interesting because, on the surface, Linus seems like your typical vibrant LI (cute, sweet, cheerful… you know the type!) But dont be fooled! His route brings a lot more to the table than you’d expect. Personally, this worked really well for me (hence my brainrotting lol), but I can definitely see how it might not land the same way for others. 👀 Also, Umeda, his VA was unbelievable! I hope we get to hear him voicing more otome LIs in the future!
⬇️ SpoilersLinus is…….. QUITE SCARY, ISN’T HE??? This route kind of lowkey bordered a bit on red flag territory. At first, you’d think he’s harmless with his labrador retriever energy, but nope! fake genki alert! He’s actually one of the most dangerous targets for Aprose because of his Cu Sith blood. Aprose even recognizes how sharp Linus is as a tactician. Even when she tried to play innocent after getting caught red-handed, he was still on to her like a hawk. And was never dissuaded on her feigning ignorance. What an interesting character! Tbh its his terrifying side that made me love him more.
I also really like that Aprose isn’t an airhead about the obvious things. Like the fact that she realizes she was Linus’s childhood friend right away, instead of the story dragging it out. She was also such a good critical thinker here, because after realizing how dangerous it was to deal with Linus and the Ward lackeys, she treads back for the time being and carefully rethinks her actions, and later on decided that the only way to get the upper hand on Linus was to use lust. OOOH SNAP! YES QUEEN GO SEDUCE YOUR MAN! The woman has balls of steel honestly!
I also didn’t think lovers-to-enemies was even a thing but I’VE COME TO LOVE THIS TROPE. I thought Linus’s route utilizes the trope pretty well that I was living for every heated exchange between Aprose and Linus all the way to the end.😂 This route just kept me awake! Ha!
My only complaint was that I don’t think they really banked on the tension between Aprose and Linus’s dynamic enough? I feel like they could’ve gotten away with it being more dramatic than it is, maybe commit to Linus’s red flag tendencies, cause his route had so much potential to go all the way. I just think this route needed a bit more oomph or a little more push on the angsty side to make it really satisfying, in my opinion. Still, I definitely enjoyed it more than most of the others!
Lastly, Linus totally pissed me off in other routes. Like, come on, my dude, get off the Queen’s ass! I get that it’s your Cu Sith blood talking, but gosh, don’t make me hate you man!😩
EDWARD BERNSTEIN
- soft
- daddy issues
Edward is the next head of House Bernstein, descendants of the Sylph. He’s honest and fair, refuses to conform to Grand Albion’s classist ideals, and always treats everyone as an equal. He believes that those with power should help those who lack the same privileges. Polite to everyone regardless of status, Edward also has a strong dislike for conflict.
This route was… maybe a little too all over the place, if I’m being honest. I didn’t dislike it, but at the same time, it wasn’t one of the stronger ones in terms of plot and narrative pacing. Aprose, wasn’t at her best here either. Unlike in previous routes, her drive for revenge was more toned down, and perhaps it’s influenced by Edward’s kind-hearted nature?
Speaking of which, what really redeems this route for me is Edward himself. What a soft and genuinely kind-hearted guy! I could never bring myself to dislike him. Plus, his VA is one of my comfort seiyuus!🥺 Some might find him too vanilla or boring, but I just love how level-headed and consistently kind he is (maybe even a little too kind). Edward’s story also unravels some key pieces of the game, so I appreciated the reveals thrown in here as well. I’d definitely do this route first before Ascot’s, otherwise, Edward’s plot-revelations won’t have as much impact.
⬇️ SpoilersUnlike the previous routes, where there’s a thread of tension stemming from Aprose’s drive for revenge against her LI, Edward’s route feels kind of different, in a sense that he actively tries to prevent Aprose from being consumed by her revenge, sharing her burden in a positive way and helping her heal. I liked this approach actually and I thought it was very true to Edward’s character. I just wished this theme had been executed a bit better. The last chapters of Ed’s route just had a lot of things happening that its easy to miss important details due to that. The story however, does give you enough space to process each plot point before the next twist or reveal happen so I guess there’s also that.
GOOD ENDING: I cackled when Aprose called out her son, but also said she’s preggy with another baby! Like DAYUMMM BRO! It’s only been 3 years (?) BUT EDWARD SURE GOT TO BUSINESS RIGHT AWAY! LOL
As for Aprose getting her revenge, it’s actually in Edward’s bad end that things get juicy! Idk about you, but as a Linus enjoyer, I looooove Edward’s ‘astray’ end (bad end). It’s Linus who helps Aprose exact her revenge on Edward and eventually the Queen. Thinking back, it was also Linus who helps Aprose execute her revenge in HIS OWN bad end too! Now, isnt he just perfectly consistent with his role as a “hound”? Ha!
For Edmund and his backstory… Look, I can admit the dude’s a hot DILF, okay! I even liked how deranged and delulu he is with his obsession over Aprose’s mom. But man, he’s such a classist and a bootlicker to the Queen, which is definitely a turn-off. I didnt liked him at all. The way he treats Edward, his own son, is completely reprehensible! What an absolute trash.
ASCOT LINDELL
- “i can fix him”
- Ascot McRaunchy Lindell
- literally puts the ass in Ascot
Ascot is the representative head of House Lindell, descendants of the Puca. A handsome young man with a reputation as a womanizer in high society. A lot of women flock to him and want his company. Despite his responsibilities as head of his house, he does as he pleases and, most of the time, comes across as unserious.
I… don’t know how I feel about Ascot, tbh. He is an a$$cot for sure! Admittedly, I started this route with a grin on my face. Like dead serious, who could resist Fukujun’s eccentric teasings, hmm? But that grin almost instantly turned into furrowed brows because this route was an absolute hot mess!🔥🗑️👌
For one, (after clearing his story) I could kind of see what the writers were going for here (read spoilers to expound this point). But something about how the route was written, paced, and pieced together just completely threw me off. By the end, I couldn’t take Ascot’s route seriously. I mean, I didn’t hate it, and I still enjoyed all its absurdities if anything. I guess it’s one of those routes that’s so bad, it’s actually good!🤣
⬇️ SpoilersSo I think the devs really took the “Puca” reference from Shakespearean literature to heart when they wrote Ascot’s character. The Puca, a mythical creature known for being whimsical, a trickster, and having a flip-floppy attitude, certainly reflects Ascot’s personality down to a T, no? It’s exactly how his route plays out too. One moment, he toys with the heroine’s feelings, and the next, he’s moving mountains for her. Since he’s also a purefae, it explains why he’s pretty selfish and only thinks of himself, just like the other purefaes in the game, Oberon and Tia.
Aprose kind of annoyed me in this route too. She wasn’t as sharp and thorough as she was in Alfred, Lucas, or Linus’s routes. It felt like she lost the fire in her, and has completely let Ascot run her around his fingertips! But what I really could not get behind though was the fact that Ascot was just nonchalantly galivanting around, draining Aprose’s life force, AND KNOWING ABOUT IT, but didn’t give two shits because she “seemed fine”. Like, what the hell dude? What do you take Aprose for? Free life support?! 😡 It’s such a dick move honestly! Then again, the story kind of gets away with it by going, “He’s a purefae, he’ll say things that are downright heartless, with zero consideration for others, not even the heroine.” So…. yeah… I’m not sure if I’m liking this route at all.😒
It didn’t help that this route dragged out so many plot points for no reason, like for example: the changelings. I also thought Riley’s subplot would be a major twist in this route, but it mostly felt like it fell into the background. And don’t get me started on the scene at the Queen’s tomb with Alsie’s body. All the dilly-dallying in the previous chapters just to get to this scene was such a mess! But hey, the route seems to get away with it by throwing in spicy scenes out of nowhere, so I guess it’s forgiven!😜
Lastly, the bad ends were so raunchy. It’s funny that I can’t even hate it!🙈
JOHN
- the goat
- wears Burberry and designer perfume
John is Aprose’s attendant and childhood friend who diligently accomplishes any task without error. He is very skilled in both literary arts and combat, and was the one who taught Aprose basic self-defense when she was younger. He’s very cautious and studies his surroundings as he aids Aprose in her quest for revenge.
John is definitely a goated character… too bad his route is not! It was however, a very interesting run because it didn’t follow the structure of the previous LI routes, Ascot’s aside. I’m a huge fan of Shiraimu, so maybe this is my biased brain talking, but I love John.🥺 He’s a great character, in fact! Smart, capable, badass in combat, and always able to accomplish whatever tasks Aprose asks of him with ease, no questions asked. He’s always there for the heroine, come hell or high water, and I think he had a really solid character development arc in this game. I can’t really fault him for the fact that his story’s pacing completely took a nosedive.
⬇️ SpoilersI can’t believe we’ve reached an era where an otome LI is actually named John Doe. 😭
Anyway, I actually really loved this route, mostly because I liked John’s character, so I didn’t care that the pacing was off. It was kind of nice how the game added that eerie prenotion where the heroine would feel a chill run down her spine every time John looked at her. It was an obvious hint that it had to do with Oberon. There was so much foreshadowing in the earlier routes that you could pretty much connect the dots and realize John was part of Oberon. I mean, they pretty much looked the same from the start, right? That was already a big giveaway right from the get-go!
John was also one of the strongest characters in the game, though his powers seem to vary depending on how much Oberon allows him to use. He is technically, a purefae just like Ascot, Oberon, and Tia, so he wields the same strength that purefaes do. I kind of got the sense he was someone not to be messed with when he defeated old Nick, Edmund’s butler, who was also known to be the goat back in the day!🤣
I did feel that John was kind of shafted in the game though. IDK, the writers must’ve hated him or something because he really went through so much suffering for having to conceal his identity for so long and probably would’ve taken it to his grave in the other routes. I just feel bad for him. Poor Guy.😞 Clearly, he didn’t want to betray Aprose, but in his case, it was the nature of his existence as Oberon’s avatar, a literal NOBODY created to aid the heroine, and in the long run, betray her in the process. This route was kind of angsty, though I think they could’ve executed the angst better, which is pretty much a common problem that I have with the game.
On a different note, I can’t believe the other LIs get so many sprite variations with elaborate outfits, and then you have John with his sprite variation of: a waiter outfit, 1 black dress shirt, 1 dirty rag shirt.😭 Like, damn, give the man some fancy fits too! Well, at least he’s rocking Burberry in his regular sprite!
APROSE E. RANDOLPH
- cant cook 😭
- Aprose to the haters
After dealing with a few disappointing MCs this year, playing Aprose was such a delight! I love this heroine. She’s always guarded, highly proactive, and very efficient. I can’t really stress enough how efficient this MC is. She really be doing A LOT! -like, finishing an all-day chore in just an hour, running around spying on LIs, chasing pick-pocketers, fighting bad guys, climbing trees, doing embroidery…among many, many other tasks, all while sporting her infamous poker face!
She’s also a really good critical thinker and 99% of the time has predominantly navigated the story on her own, with very little help (maybe a bit from John and Goneril). She has a backup plan for everything and can think on her feet in perilous situations.
I guess the only thing she can’t do, and is terrible at, is cooking! The girl can’t season food to save her life! 😭But she’s so oblivious to how bad her dishes are that it’s actually hilarious. We love an overconfident queen who thinks she’s Gordon Ramsay!😂
I also really loved how stern and uptight Aprose is at first, but as the story progresses, you can slowly see her walls coming down. What’s great is that she reflects on all her experiences, both old and new, which makes her growth very satisfying, to me. I also really appreciated her bonding moments with the girlies Evelyn and Charlotte. 🥺 It’s really nice to see this more human side of her when she’s with them, the part that isn’t too focused on revenge. I think Aprose really needed this type of connection, girlfriends she could confide in, and let her guard down so she can be more of herself. The friendship she has with the girls is such a lovely, heartwarming layer to her character.🥹
Perhaps my little quibble with the entire game is that Aprose’s drive and motivation for revenge greatly vary in every route. She sort of lost her fire in the last three routes (me thinks). In contrast, she was much more on top of things and determined with the first three LI routes, and was completely dead set on what she wanted/ willing to do anything to achieve her goals. I guess I could chalk this up to inconsistent writing rather than paint it as a flaw of the heroine.🤷♀️
SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION
The shard exploration can be a mixed bag. Initially, I did like how it lets you roam around the Bernstein mansion, investigate different areas, collect clues, and eavesdrop on conversations between characters and other NPCs. But the repetition of these segments quickly became tiring for me. Especially the last exploration. I think the fourth one took forever to finish. It wouldn’t have hurt to cut the exploration segments in half, as I feel it was the only thing dragging the common route for hours.
PROS:
- Mouth movements, blinking sprites
- Heroine’s Name Customization
- Chapter Select
- Flowchart
- DICTIONARY section
- Scrapbook – (these are short stories that unlock after finishing certain endings)
- Love Catch and Status Bar
- SKIP to the Next Choice function
- Skip READ function
- Quick Save/Quick Load
- CG Gallery
- Music Library
- Movie Library
- Backlog and Rewind function
CONS:
- Heroine not voiced
- The 2nd – 4th exploration segments cannot be skipped.
- Localization has a lot of typos.
TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAjx7WoCrM0
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- took me around 60–65 hours to finish. The common route, with all its exploration segments, took roughly 3–4 hours, while each love interest route ran about 5–6 hours to reach an ending, give or take. I also played mostly in docked mode for the majority of my playthroughs and had it on auto-play most of the time.
Aprose’s Journey: Came for Revenge, Stayed for Love
While the story introduces the theme “revenge”, what makes it interesting to me is how the heroine actually navigates her own desires and emotions for revenge. You see, not all revenge is cold; it can take many forms, whether grandiose or subtle. And its kinda interesting that the game explores those nuances through Aprose’s journey.
It’s also curious, because as Aprose grows as a person, makes friends, spends time with her LI, and develops her feelings for them, she will also start to question herself. Is this really what I want? There’s that constant push and pull within her, so in turn, sometimes she’s determined to see her plans through, and other times her resolve wavers. I think I really enjoyed this part of the protagonist actually, because it makes her feel so human. Sometimes we think revenge will give us closure, but when we’re finally facing it, we realize it’s not what we truly want.
The sentiment I take from all of this is that Aprose’s pursuit of revenge is closely tied to her path of healing…and I think this reinforces the game’s underlying message “that love can heal even the most painful scars.” After finding and accepting love, Aprose gradually lets go of the hatred in her heart, allowing herself to slowly heal and move forward.
Tangy Bad Ends
That’s not to say our girl doesn’t get her cold revenge served in the game, because oh, they definitely happen! And you’ll find them all in these juicy BAD ENDINGS. It’s funny how the game is cloaked in shiny glittery fairy dust, but the bad ends can really hit hard with some seriously dark stuff when you least expect it!
It surprised me even by how much I enjoyed all of them. I’m normally someone who only does bad ends out of due diligence of being a completionist 😂(hey, can’t be the only one!). Maybe curiosity got the better of me, because I’ve seemingly picked up the habit of looking forward to unlocking the “Astray” and “Clown” endings in this game.🙈These endings can spiral into something that’ll get you clutching your pearls to scenes that are just outrageously raunchy. The raunchy endings were a hoot ngl! Admittedly, I enjoyed every single one of them.🤭
I love Aprose! What a QUEEN~💅Shakespearean References and Celtic Myth Inspired Characters
Another aspect of Mistonia that also caught my curiosity was its rich Shakespearean influence. So many of the characters feel directly drawn from Elizabethan culture, like say, Oberon and Titania (Tia), the regal king and queen of fairies, while others are heavily inspired by Celtic myths like the mischievous Púca, the ethereal sylphs, the Cu Sith, Will-o’-Wisp, etc. I like and appreciate this because, in a way, the writers didn’t just pull these ideas out of their a**es. LOL. They were clearly working within a theme. And I think there was even a sense of intent behind how they wrote the characters according to their original references, which, after I looked into them, made me go: “Ahh, so that’s why…” (cough cough Ascot cough)
Below, I’ve listed some of the references I’ve compiled and compared them to how the developers adapted their characters based on these myths. Keep in mind, these contain spoilers for the game, so click at your own risk!
⬇️ Shakespearean Characters in Mistonia (Spoilers!!)Oberon – King of the fairies, oversees the fairy realm.
Tia (Queen Titania) – queen of the fairy realm.
Also, probably the most common name for the ‘Queen of fairies’ in any fantasy lore. We also see a different version of her in Cafe Enchante.lol 🤭
The Púca – A mischievous, shape-shifting creature from Celtic folklore. A trickster and unpredictable spirit, known to tempt and play tricks on humans. Often takes the form of a horse with glowing eyes, but can also appear as a goat, dog, or cat.
As much as this annoyed me, this is probably the reason why Ascot was so flip-floppy in his route and was so unpredictable all the way to the very end.
Cu Sith A massive, mystical hound known for its otherworldly strength. The most loyal among the fae servants. Rarely acts independently and follows the orders of the fae or their rulers.
Will-o’Wisp – A ghostly light from that leads travelers astray. In another folklore, Will-o’-the-Wisps are believed to be the souls of the dead who cannot find eternal rest because of evil deeds they committed while alive.
Sylph – An ethereal spirit of air, generally depicted as beautiful and graceful.
Spriggan – small, supernaturally strong fairy-goblins that guard treasures (hidden gold, jewels, ancient relics). They also protect mines from greedy humans, and can grow huge when defending their territory.
Alfred probably has the loosest connection to the actual Spriggan of folklore. The game takes creative liberty by portraying the Spriggan House as skilled in crafting weapons and able to manifest magical barriers using the power of stones.Perhaps this barrier ability is inspired by the way traditional Spriggans were said to grow to enormous size when defending their territory.Aprose| Tamora, the Queen of Goths – Aprose is likely inspired by Tamora, the Queen of the Goths in Titus Andronicus. Tamora is one of the fiercest, most vengeful, and ruthless she-villains in English Literature. Her method was visceral, and gruesome, cementing her status as one of Shakespeare’s most horrifying villains.
Of course, this isn’t a 1:1 comparison. Otherwise, Mistonia might end up with an M rating on the ESRB.Lily Bernstein| Regan (King Lear) – Lily or the “White Lily” in Mistonia is likely inspired by Regan in King Lear, another viscous she-villain in the Shakespearean lore. She lacks compassion entirely and shows no remorse of her actions. She was killed by Goneril (King Lear) at the end.
Just like Lily, Regan was also willing to betray and use her husband to achieve her goals.Goneril | Goneril (King Lear) lol you cant name your character “Goneril” and expect people not to get SUS! 😂 The Goneril in Mistonia is probably loosely based on the real Goneril from King Lear.
In Shakespeare, Goneril was also the one who killed Regan (the character I compared to Lily).NOTE: I’ll probably add more examples to this later, as the game clearly takes heavy inspiration from many of Shakespeare’s works. If you have suggestions for other character references, feel free to drop them in the comments, and I’ll try to add them here as well.
As for the overall story, I actually like that the game has a plot structure where each LI has, in one way or another, a connection to the heroine’s tragedy. And if you play the routes in a certain order, the story kind of just unpacks little by little on its own. Each route also contributes something that shapes the overarching plot in the game. Highlight for minor spoilers >>> I‘d say Alfred, Lucas, Linus and Edward’s routes give you more insights on the Eltbeak incident, while Ascot and John’s routes explore more of the game’s fantasy setting.<<<
This title, to me, was pretty solid, thematically. It stayed true to what it initially set out to be and didn’t try to become something it wasn’t. Although, I do have to say that the execution of some routes and certain storylines fell a bit short of my expectations. The routes definitely vary from being great, to mediocre, to “what the heck is even going on?” 😭 There were also plenty of plot inconsistencies that, at one point, I just kind of gave up, turned off my brain, and went “well, okay, fine...”😅 So yeah, if you’re very particular about plot consistencies and a stickler for pacing, some of these routes will tick you off for sure!
I’d say the characters were definitely the heart of this game and what kept me invested all the way to the very end of the finale. I loved the main cast, and I thought the side characters played important roles in the story as well. Aprose, the MC, was astounding and quickly earned a spot in my fav MC shrine‘!
As for the LIs, Lucas snatches “best boi” title in my book! I also thought his route was among the best-written in the game. Linus came barreling in second place, and this actually surprised me! To tell you the truth, I brainrotted on Linus for a few days before moving on…🫠 Idk, something about the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” trope always gets my knees buckled. I’m such a sucker for this trope it’s not even funny!😭 John was an amazing LI as well, though I wish his route could’ve been paced better. On the other hand, I had a love-hate relationship with Ascot and his route, but by the end of the game, my opinion of his character hopped onto the more favorable side.🙂↕️ (thankfully!)
💖LI RANKING: Lucas > Linus > John > Edward = Alfred > Ascot
📝ROUTE RANKING: Lucas > Linus > Alfred >>>> John > Edward > Ascot
For the romance, I found the game decently romantic. I was smitten by Aprose’s chemistry with her guys.🥺 The sweet, sugary moments between them were also woven naturally into the plot, which kept me glued to the story the whole time. I also loved that this title utilizes LI rivalries in every single route! It really cranks up my love-triangle guilty pleasures, which is also why I couldn’t bring myself to skip a single bad ending. (cackles)🫣😂 And as for the spice, there are a couple of suggestive scenes, some even with accompanying CGs. So I think anyone who loves a little extra heat will definitely get their fix in this game.
Yes, I shall pour all my *HONEST FEELINGS* in your room, my prince… 👅🤭Do I recommend this game? YES.
I was actually very taken and fully immersed throughout my entire playthrough of this title. The plot wasn’t grand, and it certainly had its share of glaring flaws at times, but Aprose, the LIs, and the rest of the cast made this game truly a worthwhile experience. I’m also a fantasy-girlie, so this was an easy read for me.I definitely think you will enjoy Mistonia’s Hope -The Lost Delight- if you: love fantasy/dark-fantasy settings, mysteries and revenge plots, a capable MC who’s determined to achieve her goals, a mixed cast of lovable and *twisted* love interests you’ll want to add to your collection, Shakespearean nods scattered throughout the game, and some really (emotionally) beautiful art that hits you right in the feels! If you tick all these boxes above, you’re in for a real treat with this otome title! Definitely don’t even think about passing this game up!
***That said, I will actually be partaking in Otomate’s Winter Market merch war this year. Gotta get my hands on those new Mistonia merch! All import tariffs be damned! 😤
#aksysGames #MistoniaReview #MistoniaTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeReview #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelight #MistoniaSHopeTheLostDelightReview #nintendoSwitch #otomate #OtomeGameReview
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Finally Friday Reads: Ain’t that some Shit?
With Trump/Epstein back in the news, here’s a snippet from a cartoon I drew a few days ago. ” John Buss, @repeat1968
Good Day, Sky Dancers!
Some of my friends have been blaming the craziness I’ve been feeling lately on the huge Mercury Retrograde that started on the 9th. It’s really unnerving to read the unbelievably scattered graft and madness coming out of Orange Caligula’s regime, which seems like peak madness, too. I’ve spent the last two days trying to talk people down, as well as crying over a friend whose essential surgery just got cancelled because his insurance company refused to pay for it. Then, there are all the Epstein headlines. I’m glad to get glimpses of justice, but it’s also tough to deal with all the stories of abuse and indifference that always come from the way men treat women and children like junk in their toy box.
This story in HuffPo absolutely tore my heart to pieces this morning. It’s reported by Ron Dicker. This may trigger you, so please take this trigger warning seriously. “Epstein Email About Giving Girlfriend To Trump Enrages Model’ Groped’ By Him. The former Sports Illustrated model said Epstein, whom she dated in the early 1990s, “delivered” her to Trump.”
A newly released email in which Jeffrey Epstein bragged about giving a girlfriend to Donald Trump angered a former model who dated Epstein and claimed he once “delivered” her to the future president to be “groped” by him.
The note showed how “deeply misogynistic” the two men were, Stacey Williams told CNN on Thursday. (Watch the video below.)
Williams, who was featured in several Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues in the ’90s, appeared on “Erin Burnett Outfront” after numerous emails involving the late sexual predator Epstein were shared this week. Congress is poised to vote on the release of files unviewed by the public, but Trump has continued to push back at what he now calls a “hoax.”
Burnett brought up Epstein’s correspondence in which he wrote about a Norwegian businesswoman and heiress: “my 20 year old girlfriend in 1993, , that after two years i gave to donald.”
“It screams about, you know, the mindset of these men,” Williams said. “You know, the same two men who did what they did to me when Jeffrey Epstein walked me into Donald Trump’s office to be groped by him. Clearly, we are these objects, these trophies, and it’s deeply misogynistic. It’s horrifying.”
Burnett also mentioned Williams’ previous account claiming Trump molested her as Epstein watched at Trump Tower, and how their smiling at each other revealed the pair’s “weird and twisted game.”
Williams added, “I clearly was delivered there for the groping.” She said that she had a reputation for standing up to inappropriate men, so “when I froze and didn’t respond, you know, I think Jeffrey got very upset about it. He expected a fight.”
Trump was the only male friend Epstein consistently talked about, according to Williams. “It’s just so maddening to me that Donald Trump ran on, you know, cleaning up the swamp,” she continued, “and all this time and energy is being spent on covering up information about the biggest swamp monster who’s ever existed.”
From the halls of Mar-a-Lago to the ruins of Ukrainian hospitals, the toxic bond between Trump, Putin, and Epstein may have reshaped the world and cost the lives of countless children…hartmannreport.com/p/did-epstei…
— Thom Hartmann (@hartmannreport.com) 2025-11-14T16:16:52.669Z
Even the Queen of the Fox News Bleached Blondes, a mother of teenagers, couldn’t show kindness, awareness, and sympathy to victims of Trump and Epstein’s Ephebophilia, which is the preference for mid-to-late adolescents. This is from Mother Jones as reported by Julianne McShane. “Megyn Kelly Suddenly Finds Pedophilia Very Hard to Define. When a 16-year-old accused Russell Brand of rape, Kelly begged conservatives to condemn him. Now she’s splitting hairs about men “into the barely legal type.”
Megyn Kelly is known for offering absurd takes that nobody asked for.
There was her insistence that Santa Claus is white, for example, and her claim that wearing blackface used to not be so bad (that one got her fired from NBC News). Wednesday, on her eponymous SiriusXM show, Kelly picked another hill to die on: She implied, in conversation with NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargon, that it wasn’t quite fair to call Jeffrey Epstein a pedophile because he was “into the barely legal type” of minors—which Kelly appallingly defines as “like, 15-year-olds”—who look like they could be legal adults. Epstein was charged with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors, and the Department of Justice said he abused and exploited dozens of underage girls, some as young as 14.
But Kelly said she nonetheless questioned how to characterize Epstein because, she claims, she knows “somebody very, very close to this case who is in a position to know virtually everything,” and “this person has told me from the start, years and years ago, that Jeffrey Epstein, in this person’s view, was not a pedophile.”
Kelly continued: “This is this person’s view, who was there for a lot of this, but that he was into the barely legal type. Like, he liked 15-year-old girls. And I realize this is disgusting. I’m definitely not trying to make an excuse for this. I’m just giving you facts, that he wasn’t into, like, 8-year-olds. But he liked the very young teen types that could pass for even younger than they were, but would look legal to a passerby.”
Kelly said the characterization from her unnamed source—that Epstein was “not a pedophile”—”is what I believed…until we heard from [Attorney General] Pam Bondi that they had tens of thousands of videos of alleged…child sexual abuse material on his computer that for the first time, I thought, ‘Oh, no, he was an actual pedophile.’ I mean, only a pedophile gets off on young children abuse videos. [Bondi has] never clarified it, I don’t know whether it’s true. I have to be honest, I don’t really trust Pam Bondi’s word on the Epstein matters anymore.”
“Or anything else,” added Ungar-Sargon.
“Yeah,” Kelly replied, “so I don’t know what’s true about him, but we have yet to see anybody come forward and say, ‘I was eight, I was under 10, I was under 14, when I first came within his purview.’ You can say that’s a distinction without a difference.”
“No, it’s not,” Ungar-Sargon says.
“I think there is a difference,” Kelly continues, “there’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?”
In fact, we don’t know.
Gaslighting is a Fox News feature. It’s also a hallmark of MAGA surreality.
Heather Cox Richardson writes about this on her Substack, Letters from an American.
We are watching the ideology of the far-right MAGAs smash against reality, with President Donald J. Trump and his cronies madly trying to convince voters to believe in their false world rather than the real one.
That spin has been hard at work in the past few days over the economy. Trump is clearly worried that the Supreme Court is going to find that much of his tariff war is unconstitutional, as the direction of the justices’ questioning in its November 5 hearing suggested. On Monday he claimed that the U.S. would have to pay back “in excess of $2 Trillion Dollars” if the Supreme Court ruled the tariffs unconstitutional, and that “would be a National Security catastrophe.” He blamed “Anarchists and Thugs” for putting the U.S. into a “terrible situation” by challenging his tariffs. Hours later, he increased the number to $3 Trillion—the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget says the number was actually about $195 billion.
Yesterday, White House officials suggested they would never be able to release October’s jobs report or inflation numbers, blaming the Democrats. They did, however, claim that prices are “beginning to drop,” citing DoorDash, the delivery platform, as their source.
The administration has justified its violence against undocumented immigrants by insisting those they round up are violent criminals, “the worst of the worst.” That claim is increasingly exposed as a lie, and Americans are pushing back.
Melissa Sanchez, Jodi S. Cohen, T. Christian Miller, Sebastian Rotella, and Mariam Elba of ProPublica reported on the September 30 raid on an apartment complex in Chicago in which federal agents stormed the complex in a helicopter and military-style vehicles, broke into apartments, and marched individuals outside, claiming they were Tren de Aragua gang members and filming them for a video the administration circulated that portrayed them as criminals.
Government agents arrested 37 people in the raid but ultimately claimed that only two of them were gang members. The journalists spoke to one and found he had no criminal record. Federal prosecutors have not filed criminal charges against anyone arrested in the raid. Instead, the journalists observed in immigration court that government lawyers never mentioned criminal charges or gang membership. Judges simply ordered them deported or let them leave voluntarily, which would enable them to apply to return to the U.S., a sign they are not actually seen as a threat to the country.
On Tuesday, Isabela Dias of Mother Jones reported on the administration’s targeting of individuals who, until now, were protected under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. President Barack Obama established DACA for those brought to the U.S. as children until Congress could pass legislation to give those “Dreamers” a path to legal residence. Thanks to the program, Dreamers by the hundreds of thousands gave the U.S. government their personal information in exchange for a promise they would not be deported. But Congress never acted, and now, in its quest to reach 3,000 deportations a day, the administration is targeting the DACA recipients, whose adherence to the rules the government established makes them easy to find and target.
Yesterday, Robert Tait of The Guardian noted that Human Rights Watch and Cristosal, a group that monitors human rights in Latin American, report that the Veneuzelans the Trump administration sent to the infamous CECOT terrorist prison in El Salvador endured systematic torture, including beatings and sexual violence. Only 3% of those the U.S. rendered to El Salvador had been convicted of a violent crime in the U.S.
As immigration advocate Aaron Reichlin-Melnick wrote: “We paid El Salvador to torture, abuse, and rape completely innocent Venezuelans so that [Secretary of State] Marco Rubio, [White House deputy chief of staff] Stephen Miller, and Donald Trump could claim they were tough on immigrants.”
The cruelty of Orange Caligula and his psychopathic sidekicks knows no bounds. This is from the source of authentic investigative journalism, ProPublica. “Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts, The company is run by the husband of Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. DHS invoked the “emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rules for the taxpayer-funded campaign.”
On Oct. 2, the second day of the government shutdown, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived at Mount Rushmore to shoot a television ad. Sitting on horseback in chaps and a cowboy hat, Noem addressed the camera with a stern message for immigrants: “Break our laws, we’ll punish you.”
Noem has hailed the more than $200 million, taxpayer-funded ad campaign as a crucial tool to stem illegal immigration. Her agency invoked the “national emergency” at the border as it awarded contracts for the campaign, bypassing the normal competitive bidding process designed to prevent waste and corruption.
The Department of Homeland Security has kept at least one beneficiary of the nine-figure ad deal a secret, records and interviews show: a Republican consulting firm with long-standing personal and business ties to Noem and her senior aides at DHS. The company running the Mount Rushmore shoot, called the Strategy Group, does not appear on public documents about the contract. The main recipient listed on the contracts is a mysterious Delaware company, which was created days before the deal was finalized.
No firm has closer ties to Noem’s political operation than the Strategy Group. It played a central role in her 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial campaign. Corey Lewandowski, her top adviser at DHS, has worked extensively with the firm. And the company’s CEO is married to Noem’s chief spokesperson at DHS, Tricia McLaughlin.
The Strategy Group’s ad work is the first known example of money flowing from Noem’s agency to businesses controlled by her allies and friends.
Government contracting experts said the depth of the ties between DHS leadership and the Strategy Group suggested major potential violations of ethics rules.
“It’s corrupt, is the word,” said Charles Tiefer, a leading authority on federal contract law and former member of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said that the Strategy Group’s role should prompt investigations by both the DHS inspector general and the House Oversight Committee.
“Hiding your friends as subcontractors is like playing hide the salami with the taxpayer,” Tiefer added.
Federal regulations forbid conflicts of interest in contracting and require that the process be conducted “with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none.”
“It’s worthy of an investigation to ferret out how these decisions were made, and whether they were made legally and without bias,” said Scott Amey, a contracting expert and general counsel at the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight.
The revelations come as the amount of money at Noem’s disposal has skyrocketed. The so-called Big Beautiful Bill granted DHS more than $150 billion, and Noem has given herself an unusual degree of control over how that money is spent. This summer, she began requiring that she personally approve any payment over $100,000.
Asked about the Strategy Group’s work for DHS, McLaughlin, the agency spokesperson, said in an interview, “We don’t have visibility into why they were chosen.”
As in everything recent, we’ve seen this administration chant, once again, it’s the Democrats’ fault. This is from the New York Times. “Trump Administration Live Updates: President Wants Federal Inquiry Into Epstein’s Ties to Prominent Democrats.” You’d think this approach would’ve grown old and stale already.
President Trump announced on Friday that he wanted the Justice Department to investigate high-profile Democrats — including former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and the venture capitalist and megadonor Reid Hoffman — who he alleged had ties to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a social media post, Mr. Trump blasted Democrats for “using the Epstein Hoax” to distract from the recent government shutdown, and said that federal law enforcement would order investigations into members of their party, who he insinuated were involved in Mr. Epstein’s sex-trafficking of girls.
“This is another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, with all arrows pointing to the Democrats,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Records show that these men, and many others, spent large portions of their life with Epstein, and on his “Island.” Stay tuned!!!”
Mr. Trump said that he would be asking Attorney General Pam Bondi, “and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI,” to conduct the investigation into the “involvement and relationship” between Mr. Epstein and the Democrats.
Mr. Trump also wrote that it would also include “J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions.”
The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
If you want to punish your eyes by reading all the released Epstein items, COURIER has a link to the entire, searchable dump provided by the U.S. House Oversight Committee. Paul Krugman’s SubStack post today turns its eyes to the Heritage Foundation. It’s an interesting read. “The Decline and Fall of the Heritage Foundation. Its descent into conspiracy-mongering and blatant bigotry was utterly predictable.”
There’s deep turmoil at the Heritage Foundation, the right-wing “think tank” that calls itself “America’s most influential policy organization,” and is responsible for Project 2025. I’ll explain the scare quotes in a minute.
As many readers know, Tucker Carlson recently invited Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist who espouses antisemitic conspiracy theories, onto his podcast. This was shocking but not surprising: It has been obvious for a long time that virulent antisemitism was a growing force within the American right, especially among young people. Last month Politico reported on the contents of private chats between a number of Young Republican leaders that include declarations that “I love Hitler,” jokes about gas chambers, and more.
So should it come as a surprise that Kevin Roberts, Heritage’s president, put out a video defending Carlson and attributing the uproar to “the globalist class,” a turn of phrase routinely used to attack Jews?
It was clearly a surprise to Roberts that his defense of Carlson provoked a widespread backlash. And displaying the complete refusal to accept responsibility we’ve come to expect from leading conservatives, Roberts now claims that he was just reading a script written by an aide, saying “I didn’t know much about this Fuentes guy.” He explained his ignorance by saying “I actually don’t have time to consume a lot of news. I consume a lot of sports.”
Yeah, right.
Why did Roberts weigh in on the Carlson-Fuentes controversy? He obviously felt he needed to express support for the right of conservatives to be conspiracy-theory antisemites — despite the fact that Heritage itself has an antisemitism task force. Unsurprisingly, many of the task force members have now resigned.
Media reporting on this story has been excellent and revealing. However, I believe that much of the commentary misjudges the true nature of Heritage, portraying it as a genuine think tank that picked the wrong leader or was corrupted by MAGA.
Because the truth is that Heritage has always been a fraud. It has always been a propaganda mill cosplaying as a research institution – a scam that worked for a long time. Heritage’s problem now is that its original scam was designed for a different era — a Reaganesque era in which plutocrats could discreetly leverage bigotry and intolerance to elect Republicans, who then delivered deregulation and tax cuts. Heritage was an integral cog within this scheme, giving superficial respectability to policies that were in fact deeply regressive and discriminatory, and overwhelmingly to the benefit of the moneyed class.
And, just think about this one for a bit.
Further proof of corruption, grift, and just plain autocratic bullshit can be found at these links.
- Brian Slodysko / Associated Press: Top Fannie Mae officials ousted after sounding alarm on sharing confidential housing data
- ProPublica: FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff
- NBC News: GOP senators distance themselves from provision allowing them to sue over phone record searches
- The Harvard Crimson: Harvard Faculty Disturbed by Revelations of Summers’ ‘Cozy Friendship’ With Epstein
There are so many of these things posted as a memeorandum today that I can’t possibly fit them all into one short post. We are seriously and truely fucked if we do not get all these criminals out of government and other pubic institutions.
What’s on your reading, action, and blogging list today?
#corruption #cultureOfMisogyny #EpsteinFiles #LifeLlKillYa #OrangeCaligula
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Finally Friday Reads: Ain’t that some Shit?
With Trump/Epstein back in the news, here’s a snippet from a cartoon I drew a few days ago. ” John Buss, @repeat1968
Good Day, Sky Dancers!
Some of my friends have been blaming the craziness I’ve been feeling lately on the huge Mercury Retrograde that started on the 9th. It’s really unnerving to read the unbelievably scattered graft and madness coming out of Orange Caligula’s regime, which seems like peak madness, too. I’ve spent the last two days trying to talk people down, as well as crying over a friend whose essential surgery just got cancelled because his insurance company refused to pay for it. Then, there are all the Epstein headlines. I’m glad to get glimpses of justice, but it’s also tough to deal with all the stories of abuse and indifference that always come from the way men treat women and children like junk in their toy box.
This story in HuffPo absolutely tore my heart to pieces this morning. It’s reported by Ron Dicker. This may trigger you, so please take this trigger warning seriously. “Epstein Email About Giving Girlfriend To Trump Enrages Model’ Groped’ By Him. The former Sports Illustrated model said Epstein, whom she dated in the early 1990s, “delivered” her to Trump.”
A newly released email in which Jeffrey Epstein bragged about giving a girlfriend to Donald Trump angered a former model who dated Epstein and claimed he once “delivered” her to the future president to be “groped” by him.
The note showed how “deeply misogynistic” the two men were, Stacey Williams told CNN on Thursday. (Watch the video below.)
Williams, who was featured in several Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues in the ’90s, appeared on “Erin Burnett Outfront” after numerous emails involving the late sexual predator Epstein were shared this week. Congress is poised to vote on the release of files unviewed by the public, but Trump has continued to push back at what he now calls a “hoax.”
Burnett brought up Epstein’s correspondence in which he wrote about a Norwegian businesswoman and heiress: “my 20 year old girlfriend in 1993, , that after two years i gave to donald.”
“It screams about, you know, the mindset of these men,” Williams said. “You know, the same two men who did what they did to me when Jeffrey Epstein walked me into Donald Trump’s office to be groped by him. Clearly, we are these objects, these trophies, and it’s deeply misogynistic. It’s horrifying.”
Burnett also mentioned Williams’ previous account claiming Trump molested her as Epstein watched at Trump Tower, and how their smiling at each other revealed the pair’s “weird and twisted game.”
Williams added, “I clearly was delivered there for the groping.” She said that she had a reputation for standing up to inappropriate men, so “when I froze and didn’t respond, you know, I think Jeffrey got very upset about it. He expected a fight.”
Trump was the only male friend Epstein consistently talked about, according to Williams. “It’s just so maddening to me that Donald Trump ran on, you know, cleaning up the swamp,” she continued, “and all this time and energy is being spent on covering up information about the biggest swamp monster who’s ever existed.”
From the halls of Mar-a-Lago to the ruins of Ukrainian hospitals, the toxic bond between Trump, Putin, and Epstein may have reshaped the world and cost the lives of countless children…hartmannreport.com/p/did-epstei…
— Thom Hartmann (@hartmannreport.com) 2025-11-14T16:16:52.669Z
Even the Queen of the Fox News Bleached Blondes, a mother of teenagers, couldn’t show kindness, awareness, and sympathy to victims of Trump and Epstein’s Ephebophilia, which is the preference for mid-to-late adolescents. This is from Mother Jones as reported by Julianne McShane. “Megyn Kelly Suddenly Finds Pedophilia Very Hard to Define. When a 16-year-old accused Russell Brand of rape, Kelly begged conservatives to condemn him. Now she’s splitting hairs about men “into the barely legal type.”
Megyn Kelly is known for offering absurd takes that nobody asked for.
There was her insistence that Santa Claus is white, for example, and her claim that wearing blackface used to not be so bad (that one got her fired from NBC News). Wednesday, on her eponymous SiriusXM show, Kelly picked another hill to die on: She implied, in conversation with NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargon, that it wasn’t quite fair to call Jeffrey Epstein a pedophile because he was “into the barely legal type” of minors—which Kelly appallingly defines as “like, 15-year-olds”—who look like they could be legal adults. Epstein was charged with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors, and the Department of Justice said he abused and exploited dozens of underage girls, some as young as 14.
But Kelly said she nonetheless questioned how to characterize Epstein because, she claims, she knows “somebody very, very close to this case who is in a position to know virtually everything,” and “this person has told me from the start, years and years ago, that Jeffrey Epstein, in this person’s view, was not a pedophile.”
Kelly continued: “This is this person’s view, who was there for a lot of this, but that he was into the barely legal type. Like, he liked 15-year-old girls. And I realize this is disgusting. I’m definitely not trying to make an excuse for this. I’m just giving you facts, that he wasn’t into, like, 8-year-olds. But he liked the very young teen types that could pass for even younger than they were, but would look legal to a passerby.”
Kelly said the characterization from her unnamed source—that Epstein was “not a pedophile”—”is what I believed…until we heard from [Attorney General] Pam Bondi that they had tens of thousands of videos of alleged…child sexual abuse material on his computer that for the first time, I thought, ‘Oh, no, he was an actual pedophile.’ I mean, only a pedophile gets off on young children abuse videos. [Bondi has] never clarified it, I don’t know whether it’s true. I have to be honest, I don’t really trust Pam Bondi’s word on the Epstein matters anymore.”
“Or anything else,” added Ungar-Sargon.
“Yeah,” Kelly replied, “so I don’t know what’s true about him, but we have yet to see anybody come forward and say, ‘I was eight, I was under 10, I was under 14, when I first came within his purview.’ You can say that’s a distinction without a difference.”
“No, it’s not,” Ungar-Sargon says.
“I think there is a difference,” Kelly continues, “there’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?”
In fact, we don’t know.
Gaslighting is a Fox News feature. It’s also a hallmark of MAGA surreality.
Heather Cox Richardson writes about this on her Substack, Letters from an American.
We are watching the ideology of the far-right MAGAs smash against reality, with President Donald J. Trump and his cronies madly trying to convince voters to believe in their false world rather than the real one.
That spin has been hard at work in the past few days over the economy. Trump is clearly worried that the Supreme Court is going to find that much of his tariff war is unconstitutional, as the direction of the justices’ questioning in its November 5 hearing suggested. On Monday he claimed that the U.S. would have to pay back “in excess of $2 Trillion Dollars” if the Supreme Court ruled the tariffs unconstitutional, and that “would be a National Security catastrophe.” He blamed “Anarchists and Thugs” for putting the U.S. into a “terrible situation” by challenging his tariffs. Hours later, he increased the number to $3 Trillion—the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget says the number was actually about $195 billion.
Yesterday, White House officials suggested they would never be able to release October’s jobs report or inflation numbers, blaming the Democrats. They did, however, claim that prices are “beginning to drop,” citing DoorDash, the delivery platform, as their source.
The administration has justified its violence against undocumented immigrants by insisting those they round up are violent criminals, “the worst of the worst.” That claim is increasingly exposed as a lie, and Americans are pushing back.
Melissa Sanchez, Jodi S. Cohen, T. Christian Miller, Sebastian Rotella, and Mariam Elba of ProPublica reported on the September 30 raid on an apartment complex in Chicago in which federal agents stormed the complex in a helicopter and military-style vehicles, broke into apartments, and marched individuals outside, claiming they were Tren de Aragua gang members and filming them for a video the administration circulated that portrayed them as criminals.
Government agents arrested 37 people in the raid but ultimately claimed that only two of them were gang members. The journalists spoke to one and found he had no criminal record. Federal prosecutors have not filed criminal charges against anyone arrested in the raid. Instead, the journalists observed in immigration court that government lawyers never mentioned criminal charges or gang membership. Judges simply ordered them deported or let them leave voluntarily, which would enable them to apply to return to the U.S., a sign they are not actually seen as a threat to the country.
On Tuesday, Isabela Dias of Mother Jones reported on the administration’s targeting of individuals who, until now, were protected under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. President Barack Obama established DACA for those brought to the U.S. as children until Congress could pass legislation to give those “Dreamers” a path to legal residence. Thanks to the program, Dreamers by the hundreds of thousands gave the U.S. government their personal information in exchange for a promise they would not be deported. But Congress never acted, and now, in its quest to reach 3,000 deportations a day, the administration is targeting the DACA recipients, whose adherence to the rules the government established makes them easy to find and target.
Yesterday, Robert Tait of The Guardian noted that Human Rights Watch and Cristosal, a group that monitors human rights in Latin American, report that the Veneuzelans the Trump administration sent to the infamous CECOT terrorist prison in El Salvador endured systematic torture, including beatings and sexual violence. Only 3% of those the U.S. rendered to El Salvador had been convicted of a violent crime in the U.S.
As immigration advocate Aaron Reichlin-Melnick wrote: “We paid El Salvador to torture, abuse, and rape completely innocent Venezuelans so that [Secretary of State] Marco Rubio, [White House deputy chief of staff] Stephen Miller, and Donald Trump could claim they were tough on immigrants.”
The cruelty of Orange Caligula and his psychopathic sidekicks knows no bounds. This is from the source of authentic investigative journalism, ProPublica. “Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts, The company is run by the husband of Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. DHS invoked the “emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rules for the taxpayer-funded campaign.”
On Oct. 2, the second day of the government shutdown, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived at Mount Rushmore to shoot a television ad. Sitting on horseback in chaps and a cowboy hat, Noem addressed the camera with a stern message for immigrants: “Break our laws, we’ll punish you.”
Noem has hailed the more than $200 million, taxpayer-funded ad campaign as a crucial tool to stem illegal immigration. Her agency invoked the “national emergency” at the border as it awarded contracts for the campaign, bypassing the normal competitive bidding process designed to prevent waste and corruption.
The Department of Homeland Security has kept at least one beneficiary of the nine-figure ad deal a secret, records and interviews show: a Republican consulting firm with long-standing personal and business ties to Noem and her senior aides at DHS. The company running the Mount Rushmore shoot, called the Strategy Group, does not appear on public documents about the contract. The main recipient listed on the contracts is a mysterious Delaware company, which was created days before the deal was finalized.
No firm has closer ties to Noem’s political operation than the Strategy Group. It played a central role in her 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial campaign. Corey Lewandowski, her top adviser at DHS, has worked extensively with the firm. And the company’s CEO is married to Noem’s chief spokesperson at DHS, Tricia McLaughlin.
The Strategy Group’s ad work is the first known example of money flowing from Noem’s agency to businesses controlled by her allies and friends.
Government contracting experts said the depth of the ties between DHS leadership and the Strategy Group suggested major potential violations of ethics rules.
“It’s corrupt, is the word,” said Charles Tiefer, a leading authority on federal contract law and former member of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said that the Strategy Group’s role should prompt investigations by both the DHS inspector general and the House Oversight Committee.
“Hiding your friends as subcontractors is like playing hide the salami with the taxpayer,” Tiefer added.
Federal regulations forbid conflicts of interest in contracting and require that the process be conducted “with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none.”
“It’s worthy of an investigation to ferret out how these decisions were made, and whether they were made legally and without bias,” said Scott Amey, a contracting expert and general counsel at the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight.
The revelations come as the amount of money at Noem’s disposal has skyrocketed. The so-called Big Beautiful Bill granted DHS more than $150 billion, and Noem has given herself an unusual degree of control over how that money is spent. This summer, she began requiring that she personally approve any payment over $100,000.
Asked about the Strategy Group’s work for DHS, McLaughlin, the agency spokesperson, said in an interview, “We don’t have visibility into why they were chosen.”
As in everything recent, we’ve seen this administration chant, once again, it’s the Democrats’ fault. This is from the New York Times. “Trump Administration Live Updates: President Wants Federal Inquiry Into Epstein’s Ties to Prominent Democrats.” You’d think this approach would’ve grown old and stale already.
President Trump announced on Friday that he wanted the Justice Department to investigate high-profile Democrats — including former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and the venture capitalist and megadonor Reid Hoffman — who he alleged had ties to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a social media post, Mr. Trump blasted Democrats for “using the Epstein Hoax” to distract from the recent government shutdown, and said that federal law enforcement would order investigations into members of their party, who he insinuated were involved in Mr. Epstein’s sex-trafficking of girls.
“This is another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, with all arrows pointing to the Democrats,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Records show that these men, and many others, spent large portions of their life with Epstein, and on his “Island.” Stay tuned!!!”
Mr. Trump said that he would be asking Attorney General Pam Bondi, “and the Department of Justice, together with our great patriots at the FBI,” to conduct the investigation into the “involvement and relationship” between Mr. Epstein and the Democrats.
Mr. Trump also wrote that it would also include “J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions.”
The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
If you want to punish your eyes by reading all the released Epstein items, COURIER has a link to the entire, searchable dump provided by the U.S. House Oversight Committee. Paul Krugman’s SubStack post today turns its eyes to the Heritage Foundation. It’s an interesting read. “The Decline and Fall of the Heritage Foundation. Its descent into conspiracy-mongering and blatant bigotry was utterly predictable.”
There’s deep turmoil at the Heritage Foundation, the right-wing “think tank” that calls itself “America’s most influential policy organization,” and is responsible for Project 2025. I’ll explain the scare quotes in a minute.
As many readers know, Tucker Carlson recently invited Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist who espouses antisemitic conspiracy theories, onto his podcast. This was shocking but not surprising: It has been obvious for a long time that virulent antisemitism was a growing force within the American right, especially among young people. Last month Politico reported on the contents of private chats between a number of Young Republican leaders that include declarations that “I love Hitler,” jokes about gas chambers, and more.
So should it come as a surprise that Kevin Roberts, Heritage’s president, put out a video defending Carlson and attributing the uproar to “the globalist class,” a turn of phrase routinely used to attack Jews?
It was clearly a surprise to Roberts that his defense of Carlson provoked a widespread backlash. And displaying the complete refusal to accept responsibility we’ve come to expect from leading conservatives, Roberts now claims that he was just reading a script written by an aide, saying “I didn’t know much about this Fuentes guy.” He explained his ignorance by saying “I actually don’t have time to consume a lot of news. I consume a lot of sports.”
Yeah, right.
Why did Roberts weigh in on the Carlson-Fuentes controversy? He obviously felt he needed to express support for the right of conservatives to be conspiracy-theory antisemites — despite the fact that Heritage itself has an antisemitism task force. Unsurprisingly, many of the task force members have now resigned.
Media reporting on this story has been excellent and revealing. However, I believe that much of the commentary misjudges the true nature of Heritage, portraying it as a genuine think tank that picked the wrong leader or was corrupted by MAGA.
Because the truth is that Heritage has always been a fraud. It has always been a propaganda mill cosplaying as a research institution – a scam that worked for a long time. Heritage’s problem now is that its original scam was designed for a different era — a Reaganesque era in which plutocrats could discreetly leverage bigotry and intolerance to elect Republicans, who then delivered deregulation and tax cuts. Heritage was an integral cog within this scheme, giving superficial respectability to policies that were in fact deeply regressive and discriminatory, and overwhelmingly to the benefit of the moneyed class.
And, just think about this one for a bit.
Further proof of corruption, grift, and just plain autocratic bullshit can be found at these links.
- Brian Slodysko / Associated Press: Top Fannie Mae officials ousted after sounding alarm on sharing confidential housing data
- ProPublica: FBI Director Kash Patel Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Dan Bongino, Two Other Senior Staff
- NBC News: GOP senators distance themselves from provision allowing them to sue over phone record searches
- The Harvard Crimson: Harvard Faculty Disturbed by Revelations of Summers’ ‘Cozy Friendship’ With Epstein
There are so many of these things posted as a memeorandum today that I can’t possibly fit them all into one short post. We are seriously and truely fucked if we do not get all these criminals out of government and other pubic institutions.
What’s on your reading, action, and blogging list today?
#corruption #cultureOfMisogyny #EpsteinFiles #LifeLlKillYa #OrangeCaligula
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RE: https://piraten-partei.social/@vwt1812/116172328529407047
In München gibt es leider auch keine Protokolle mit namentlichen Abstimmungen, wenigstens werden die Fraktionen genannt.
In Nürnberg ist selbst das nicht dem Protokoll zu entnehmen... :mastoface_with_rolling_eyes:
Geht am 8. März Wählen, sagt euren Stadträten, dass ihr Transparenz wollt.
Wir sehen schon erste Bewegungen dank unserem Druck, aber Fakten können nur auf dem Wahlzettel geschaffen werden!🗳️ -
Hi @michaelvera
As the paper explains, the pre-registration, paper, dataset, and analysis scripts are freely available (https://osf.io/wj34h/), making the research about as transparent as it gets — certainly more transparent than most of the evidence we rely on on a daily basis.
If you have doubts that are more supported by their data or others’ data than their hypothesis is supported by the data, then that would be concerning.
But merely hypothesizing a concern about bias without any analysis of any data is not an objection. (In fact, dismissing evidence on the basis of potential bias is itself a bias/fallacy — #theBiasFallacy: https://byrdnick.com/archives/11072/the-bias-fallacy).
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Complexity is what companies sell when they’ve run out of simplicity. Pragmatic does one thing beautifully: Gets you paid — faster. 💷 https://apple.co/477qmb4 #Freelancers #Tradespeople #Simplicity #GetPaid
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“When Harry Met Sally” is Rob Reiner’s everlasting message of love – Salon.com
Billy Crystal as Harry Burns and Meg Ryan as Sally Albright in “When Harry Met Sally” (Columbia Pictures)commentary
“When Harry Met Sally” is Rob Reiner’s everlasting message of love
A classic scene written to reflect Reiner’s love for his wife, Michele, embraces a brighter future
By Coleman Spilde, Senior Writer, Published December 17, 2025 12:00PM (EST)
Billy Crystal as Harry Burns and Meg Ryan as Sally Albright in “When Harry Met Sally” (Columbia Pictures)It’s almost time for the page to turn again. Whether we like it or not, time marches on, the year comes to a close and we reflect on everything that’s happened. It’s a time for old friends, new loves, and speaking to our feelings so that we don’t dare carry a single burden into another year.
Needless to say, shaking off 2025 will require quite a bit of verbal blotting. The year has felt like a century, at best, and just when things were supposed to wind down and get quiet, a weekend of tumult and tragedy reminded the world just how much we’re suffering.
An antisemitic massacre during a Hanukkah celebration at Australia’s Bondi Beach. A shooting at Brown University killed two students and injured nine others. And, late Sunday night, the horrific, violent deaths of Hollywood legend Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, purportedly at the hands of their son, Nick. The extent of the horror is indescribable, and it’s occurring on a global scale. And, yes, it often feels as though the weight of it is too much to bear. All we’re left with is confusion and the frustrating feeling of helplessness. We are at our wits’ end. There is no more avoiding, no more pretending. Something has got to change as soon as possible.
There’s something to that. I don’t mean to sound trite or wilfully glib, but it’s merely the truth that every ending is followed by a beginning. Reiner’s seminal film “When Harry Met Sally” is full of them — beginnings and endings, false starts and full stops. It’s a movie for dreamers, realists and romantics alike, the kind of film that’s so fantastic and so painfully human that its brilliant existence is reason enough to believe in good things. Reiner’s filmography was full of these gems, with stunners like “Stand By Me” and “The Princess Bride” that defined not just their era but people’s entire lives.
(Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TCM) Rob Reiner, Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal attend The 30th Anniversary Screening of “When Harry Met Sally…” on April 11, 2019 in Hollywood, California.Loving openly and candidly shouldn’t feel like a radical act, but in a world proliferated with violence and hatred, it’s become one.
“When Harry Met Sally,” however, is a special kind of classic. It’s no mere comfort watch, and certainly no chick flick. It’s a film for autumn, winter, spring and summer, just as much of a Christmas and New Year’s movie as it is a Valentine’s Day or anniversary movie. In its bones, there is a deep, true love that is the result of a close working relationship with screenwriter Nora Ephron, stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, and Reiner’s wife, Michele, whom he met and fell in love with during production. Their passion incited a change of the film’s ending, and in turn, one of the all-time great professions of love ever captured on film — a change of fate, right at the stroke of midnight. Call it lightning in a bottle. Call it evidence of magic. Call it a kernel of hope to hold onto as we turn the page.
Related, The questions “When Harry Met Sally” make us consider today
In Kristin Marguerite Doidge’s 2022 biography of Ephron, the author peers into the fascinating details behind Ephron and Reiner’s long-gestating film, which began as an idea tossed toward Ephron from Reiner after a few lunch meetings. It was over those meals where Ephron became intrigued with the way Reiner talked about his bachelorhood. His anecdotes would become the basis for Crystal’s character, Harry, while Ryan’s witty foil, Sally, was the embodiment of Ephron’s sharp and observant eye. “This is a talk piece,” Reiner said about the film in 1985. “There are no chase scenes, no food fights. This is walks, phones, restaurants, movies.”
Editor’s Note: Movie information below, a new feature from DWD. –DrWeb
When Harry Met Sally... Plot: Sex always gets in the way of friendships between men and women. At least, that's what Harry Burns believes. So when Harry meets Sally Albright and a deep friendship blossoms between them, Harry's determined not to let his attraction to Sally destroy it. But when a night of weakness ends in a morning of panic, can the pair avoid succumbing to Harry's fears by remaining friends and admitting they just might be the perfect match for each other? The Movie DB: 7.404/10 Information Runtime: 96 min Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama Language: English Country: United States of America Budget: $16,000,000 Revenue: $92,823,546 Homepage: Release date: July 12 1989A talk piece, indeed. While it’s Ephron’s characteristically strong dialogue and flair for realism that so many viewers fall head over heels for, Reiner’s blissfully simplistic direction is what captures the spark of two people slowly falling in love. Across years, Reiner follows Harry and Sally from their first meeting during a long-haul drive after college through their reconnection and eventual friendship and flirtation. There are long walks and even longer talks, conversations in book stores, on the leaf-strewn concrete sidewalks of a bygone era of New York City and, of course, on the phone.
Ephron based the late-night phone conversations between Sally and Harry on Reiner’s frequent talks with Crystal, when the two would watch something on television together and provide commentary throughout. From Sally’s overly particular restaurant orders to Harry’s shock that women fake orgasms, all of it came out in the development process between Ephron and Reiner, and made it into the script. “When Harry Met Sally” rings so true because there isn’t a single false note in its lovely sonata.
Continue/Read Original Article Here: “When Harry Met Sally” is Rob Reiner’s everlasting message of love – Salon.com
#1989 #BillyCrystal #Director #Everlasting #MegRyan #MessageOfLove #NoraEphron #RobReiner #Salon #SalonCom #WhenHarryMetSally -
Hi @michaelvera
As the paper explains, the pre-registration, paper, dataset, and analysis scripts are freely available (https://osf.io/wj34h/), making the research about as transparent as it gets — certainly more transparent than most of the evidence we rely on on a daily basis.
If you have doubts that are more supported by their data or others’ data than their hypothesis is supported by the data, then that would be concerning.
But merely hypothesizing a concern about bias without any analysis of any data is not an objection. (In fact, dismissing evidence on the basis of potential bias is itself a bias/fallacy — #theBiasFallacy: https://byrdnick.com/archives/11072/the-bias-fallacy).
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Hi @michaelvera
As the paper explains, the pre-registration, paper, dataset, and analysis scripts are freely available (https://osf.io/wj34h/), making the research about as transparent as it gets — certainly more transparent than most of the evidence we rely on on a daily basis.
If you have doubts that are more supported by their data or others’ data than their hypothesis is supported by the data, then that would be concerning.
But merely hypothesizing a concern about bias without any analysis of any data is not an objection. (In fact, dismissing evidence on the basis of potential bias is itself a bias/fallacy — #theBiasFallacy: https://byrdnick.com/archives/11072/the-bias-fallacy).
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Hi @michaelvera
As the paper explains, the pre-registration, paper, dataset, and analysis scripts are freely available (https://osf.io/wj34h/), making the research about as transparent as it gets — certainly more transparent than most of the evidence we rely on on a daily basis.
If you have doubts that are more supported by their data or others’ data than their hypothesis is supported by the data, then that would be concerning.
But merely hypothesizing a concern about bias without any analysis of any data is not an objection. (In fact, dismissing evidence on the basis of potential bias is itself a bias/fallacy — #theBiasFallacy: https://byrdnick.com/archives/11072/the-bias-fallacy).
-
Hi @michaelvera
As the paper explains, the pre-registration, paper, dataset, and analysis scripts are freely available (https://osf.io/wj34h/), making the research about as transparent as it gets — certainly more transparent than most of the evidence we rely on on a daily basis.
If you have doubts that are more supported by their data or others’ data than their hypothesis is supported by the data, then that would be concerning.
But merely hypothesizing a concern about bias without any analysis of any data is not an objection. (In fact, dismissing evidence on the basis of potential bias is itself a bias/fallacy — #theBiasFallacy: https://byrdnick.com/archives/11072/the-bias-fallacy).
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3/30/76 hempstead: WHO WAS JOHN turns brief corner. closing 1st set, debut of jesse stone’s DON’T LET GO, sounding like it’s been in repertoire forever, earning instant cheer, starting to stretch conversationally when tape cuts off (& bit like SUGAR MAGNOLIA as nick calls out). new jam vehicle & staple for rest of garcia band’s history, save ’79-’80. unusually dramatic KNOCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR intro, though obviously gets sleepy. pretty up MYSTERY TRAIN, too. #garciafreaksunite #jg033076 [2/2]
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The Incredible Inconvenience of the Neurodivergent to the “Science of Learning”: You’ll Never See Us Through Your Complexity Controls
Neurodivergent people are treated as noise to be filtered out in most studies supporting the “science of learning”.
The thing is, research like this — serious scientific research into Autism — has historically treated the subjective experiences of its subjects as noise to be filtered out. They all think they can accurately read our emotions if they need to and so don’t need to ask us.
We are discounted as outliers.
The varied and dynamic nature of learning environments – too many variables to isolate one out, the way norm-referencing is leveraged to discount outliers, and the lack of applicable research on neurodiverse students – necessitates a more flexible and holistic approach.
Beyond Pavlov’s Perfect Student | Human Restoration Project | Nick Covington Michael Weingarth
Our needs and ways of being are deemed too inconvenient to consider.
Which is why the Disability Industry, the SpEd/SEN leadership, and so many groups of frustrated middle-class parents do not, and may not ever understand people with disabilities. Those groups want us to be like them, or want to sell parents and schools “cures” that will make us be like them. They want me to read the way they do, and to read as fast and as “accurately” (which refers to grabbing plot points, nothing else) as they do. They want me to sit still and focus “on the task at hand” the way they do. They want me to move as they do. Think the way they do. Speak the way they do. Understand the world the way they do. All, of course, in pursuit of capitalist conformity and efficiency. (see Stimpunks for the best deep dives into these issues.)
The Incredible Inconvenience of the Neurodivergent. | by Ira David Socol | May, 2025 | Medium
Kids who are different are told every day, every hour, often every minute, by the most well-meaning people, that they are “born wrong” and require repair. And yes, accommodating our differences is inconvenient, it does create costs and work for those with power, but human diversity and neurodiversity, just like every kind of diversity, strengthens every ecosystem.
And believing that, and acting as if you believe it, is the only humane path.
So, the vast majority of studies just ignore us.
This review, which includes 90 studies conducted in 21 countries, reveals that the majority (92%) did not consider neurodiversity as a potential factor influencing cognitive load in online learning.
Our findings reveal a major research gap, as most studies overlook the distinct neurocognitive profiles of neurodivergent students. Notably, ADHD and ASD learners may exhibit unique cognitive load responses, suggesting that established cognitive load theories and instructional design guidelines might not uniformly be applicable in neurodiverse classrooms. Lastly, inconsistent methodologies in measuring cognitive load in online learning point to the need for more uniform research approaches. Future research should prioritise creating adaptive, inclusive online learning environments that respect and accommodate cognitive differences, which will not only benefit neurodivergent students but also enhance the online learning experience for all students.
It is past time to consider neurodiversity. Neuroscience without neurodiversity is often misguided and harmful.
The multimedia principle is the idea from multimedia theory that providing both words (usually spoken) accompanied by images supports learning by maximizing working memory. I’m not an expert by any means on this area of research, but It is quite interesting to think that widely accepted evidence-based principles on instructional design/learning like multimedia theory have not been confirmed for very common disability experiences such as dyslexia.
Overall, it really does seem that we are just beginning to consider and test basic “science of learning” principles with attention to neurodiversity. Indeed, as these authors note, “Research on multimedia learning typically assumes that learning outcomes are the result of the design of materials; however, an equally important but less studied consideration is the role individual differences play.”
I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with phrases like “how learning works,” when it is probably more accurate to say “how learning works for many people”
The complexity control of behaviorism and the science of learning has utterly failed us.
Our students are not surgically modified dogs nor are they pigeons in operant conditioning chambers attempting to learn nonsense words. No child enters a classroom devoid of emotion, interest, or prior knowledge. Owing to the key distinctions between the controlled laboratory and the living classroom, there simply may be no connection between what is taught and what is learned; or between the educational intervention and the desired outcome. This is why, in pedagogies centered on instruction drawn from the narrow view of “The Science of Learning,” behaviorism is a complexity control meant to reduce the number of possible variables between instruction and assessment; to better reproduce the uncomplicated relationship between variables in the Skinner Box. We know from listening to students themselves that there has been a persistent crisis in schools, even before COVID: students ask fewer questions the longer they remain in school, engagement plummets alongside mental health, and absenteeism surges. Ultimately, any science of learning matters far less than its implementation. Maintaining fidelity to what happened in, say, Pavlov’s lab matters significantly less if the practices derived from his work contribute to stress, anxiety, and alienation in students.
If the perfect education system requires that you dehumanize the people in it — adults and kids alike — that’s not a system that “works” by most metrics worth caring about. The kids in our schools have to be viewed as more than behaviorist subjects to be acted upon. If we at least admit that much, then the business of teaching gets far more complicated. Suddenly there are a number of other factors we must tend to that matter a great deal. I’ll quote again from apparent “pseudoscientist” Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, “As human beings, feeling alive means feeling alive in a body but also feeling alive in a society, in a culture; being loved, being part of a group, being accepted, and feeling purposeful.” These are self-evident truths that we are finally beginning to explore the neurobiological basis for in ways that shatter many previous models of the brain that still hold cultural sway.
Beyond Pavlov’s Perfect Student | Human Restoration Project | Nick Covington Michael Weingarth
Building Frankenstein children from reductionist, complexity-controlled parts is morally wrong and utterly wrong-headed. We must foreground complexity as the baseline for the sciences of learning to have any real meaning when applied to the rich complexity and diversity of human actuality.
Stimpunks do a great job reinforcing this through a Neurodiversity lens and are some of the few ND advocates on here who have wonderful language to capture the needed complexities for understanding each human, rather than categorizing humans into buckets.
Further Reading
https://stimpunks.org/2025/05/23/professor-guy-claxton-on-the-science-of-learning/
https://stimpunks.org/2023/11/22/on-the-problems-with-science-of-reading/
https://stimpunks.org/philosophy/were-raising-whole-children-not-frankenstein-children/
https://stimpunks.org/2023/12/10/a-neurobiological-basis-for-progressive-education/
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The Incredible Inconvenience of the Neurodivergent to the “Science of Learning”: You’ll Never See Us Through Your Complexity Controls
Neurodivergent people are treated as noise to be filtered out in most studies supporting the “science of learning”.
The thing is, research like this — serious scientific research into Autism — has historically treated the subjective experiences of its subjects as noise to be filtered out. They all think they can accurately read our emotions if they need to and so don’t need to ask us.
We are discounted as outliers.
The varied and dynamic nature of learning environments – too many variables to isolate one out, the way norm-referencing is leveraged to discount outliers, and the lack of applicable research on neurodiverse students – necessitates a more flexible and holistic approach.
Beyond Pavlov’s Perfect Student | Human Restoration Project | Nick Covington Michael Weingarth
Our needs and ways of being are deemed too inconvenient to consider.
Which is why the Disability Industry, the SpEd/SEN leadership, and so many groups of frustrated middle-class parents do not, and may not ever understand people with disabilities. Those groups want us to be like them, or want to sell parents and schools “cures” that will make us be like them. They want me to read the way they do, and to read as fast and as “accurately” (which refers to grabbing plot points, nothing else) as they do. They want me to sit still and focus “on the task at hand” the way they do. They want me to move as they do. Think the way they do. Speak the way they do. Understand the world the way they do. All, of course, in pursuit of capitalist conformity and efficiency. (see Stimpunks for the best deep dives into these issues.)
The Incredible Inconvenience of the Neurodivergent. | by Ira David Socol | May, 2025 | Medium
Kids who are different are told every day, every hour, often every minute, by the most well-meaning people, that they are “born wrong” and require repair. And yes, accommodating our differences is inconvenient, it does create costs and work for those with power, but human diversity and neurodiversity, just like every kind of diversity, strengthens every ecosystem.
And believing that, and acting as if you believe it, is the only humane path.
So, the vast majority of studies just ignore us.
This review, which includes 90 studies conducted in 21 countries, reveals that the majority (92%) did not consider neurodiversity as a potential factor influencing cognitive load in online learning.
Our findings reveal a major research gap, as most studies overlook the distinct neurocognitive profiles of neurodivergent students. Notably, ADHD and ASD learners may exhibit unique cognitive load responses, suggesting that established cognitive load theories and instructional design guidelines might not uniformly be applicable in neurodiverse classrooms. Lastly, inconsistent methodologies in measuring cognitive load in online learning point to the need for more uniform research approaches. Future research should prioritise creating adaptive, inclusive online learning environments that respect and accommodate cognitive differences, which will not only benefit neurodivergent students but also enhance the online learning experience for all students.
It is past time to consider neurodiversity. Neuroscience without neurodiversity is often misguided and harmful.
The multimedia principle is the idea from multimedia theory that providing both words (usually spoken) accompanied by images supports learning by maximizing working memory. I’m not an expert by any means on this area of research, but It is quite interesting to think that widely accepted evidence-based principles on instructional design/learning like multimedia theory have not been confirmed for very common disability experiences such as dyslexia.
Overall, it really does seem that we are just beginning to consider and test basic “science of learning” principles with attention to neurodiversity. Indeed, as these authors note, “Research on multimedia learning typically assumes that learning outcomes are the result of the design of materials; however, an equally important but less studied consideration is the role individual differences play.”
I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with phrases like “how learning works,” when it is probably more accurate to say “how learning works for many people”
The complexity control of behaviorism and the science of learning has utterly failed us.
Our students are not surgically modified dogs nor are they pigeons in operant conditioning chambers attempting to learn nonsense words. No child enters a classroom devoid of emotion, interest, or prior knowledge. Owing to the key distinctions between the controlled laboratory and the living classroom, there simply may be no connection between what is taught and what is learned; or between the educational intervention and the desired outcome. This is why, in pedagogies centered on instruction drawn from the narrow view of “The Science of Learning,” behaviorism is a complexity control meant to reduce the number of possible variables between instruction and assessment; to better reproduce the uncomplicated relationship between variables in the Skinner Box. We know from listening to students themselves that there has been a persistent crisis in schools, even before COVID: students ask fewer questions the longer they remain in school, engagement plummets alongside mental health, and absenteeism surges. Ultimately, any science of learning matters far less than its implementation. Maintaining fidelity to what happened in, say, Pavlov’s lab matters significantly less if the practices derived from his work contribute to stress, anxiety, and alienation in students.
If the perfect education system requires that you dehumanize the people in it — adults and kids alike — that’s not a system that “works” by most metrics worth caring about. The kids in our schools have to be viewed as more than behaviorist subjects to be acted upon. If we at least admit that much, then the business of teaching gets far more complicated. Suddenly there are a number of other factors we must tend to that matter a great deal. I’ll quote again from apparent “pseudoscientist” Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, “As human beings, feeling alive means feeling alive in a body but also feeling alive in a society, in a culture; being loved, being part of a group, being accepted, and feeling purposeful.” These are self-evident truths that we are finally beginning to explore the neurobiological basis for in ways that shatter many previous models of the brain that still hold cultural sway.
Beyond Pavlov’s Perfect Student | Human Restoration Project | Nick Covington Michael Weingarth
Building Frankenstein children from reductionist, complexity-controlled parts is morally wrong and utterly wrong-headed. We must foreground complexity as the baseline for the sciences of learning to have any real meaning when applied to the rich complexity and diversity of human actuality.
Stimpunks do a great job reinforcing this through a Neurodiversity lens and are some of the few ND advocates on here who have wonderful language to capture the needed complexities for understanding each human, rather than categorizing humans into buckets.
Further Reading
https://stimpunks.org/2025/05/23/professor-guy-claxton-on-the-science-of-learning/
https://stimpunks.org/2023/11/22/on-the-problems-with-science-of-reading/
https://stimpunks.org/philosophy/were-raising-whole-children-not-frankenstein-children/
https://stimpunks.org/2023/12/10/a-neurobiological-basis-for-progressive-education/
-
The Incredible Inconvenience of the Neurodivergent to the “Science of Learning”: You’ll Never See Us Through Your Complexity Controls
Neurodivergent people are treated as noise to be filtered out in most studies supporting the “science of learning”.
The thing is, research like this — serious scientific research into Autism — has historically treated the subjective experiences of its subjects as noise to be filtered out. They all think they can accurately read our emotions if they need to and so don’t need to ask us.
We are discounted as outliers.
The varied and dynamic nature of learning environments – too many variables to isolate one out, the way norm-referencing is leveraged to discount outliers, and the lack of applicable research on neurodiverse students – necessitates a more flexible and holistic approach.
Beyond Pavlov’s Perfect Student | Human Restoration Project | Nick Covington Michael Weingarth
Our needs and ways of being are deemed too inconvenient to consider.
Which is why the Disability Industry, the SpEd/SEN leadership, and so many groups of frustrated middle-class parents do not, and may not ever understand people with disabilities. Those groups want us to be like them, or want to sell parents and schools “cures” that will make us be like them. They want me to read the way they do, and to read as fast and as “accurately” (which refers to grabbing plot points, nothing else) as they do. They want me to sit still and focus “on the task at hand” the way they do. They want me to move as they do. Think the way they do. Speak the way they do. Understand the world the way they do. All, of course, in pursuit of capitalist conformity and efficiency. (see Stimpunks for the best deep dives into these issues.)
The Incredible Inconvenience of the Neurodivergent. | by Ira David Socol | May, 2025 | Medium
Kids who are different are told every day, every hour, often every minute, by the most well-meaning people, that they are “born wrong” and require repair. And yes, accommodating our differences is inconvenient, it does create costs and work for those with power, but human diversity and neurodiversity, just like every kind of diversity, strengthens every ecosystem.
And believing that, and acting as if you believe it, is the only humane path.
So, the vast majority of studies just ignore us.
This review, which includes 90 studies conducted in 21 countries, reveals that the majority (92%) did not consider neurodiversity as a potential factor influencing cognitive load in online learning.
Our findings reveal a major research gap, as most studies overlook the distinct neurocognitive profiles of neurodivergent students. Notably, ADHD and ASD learners may exhibit unique cognitive load responses, suggesting that established cognitive load theories and instructional design guidelines might not uniformly be applicable in neurodiverse classrooms. Lastly, inconsistent methodologies in measuring cognitive load in online learning point to the need for more uniform research approaches. Future research should prioritise creating adaptive, inclusive online learning environments that respect and accommodate cognitive differences, which will not only benefit neurodivergent students but also enhance the online learning experience for all students.
It is past time to consider neurodiversity. Neuroscience without neurodiversity is often misguided and harmful.
The multimedia principle is the idea from multimedia theory that providing both words (usually spoken) accompanied by images supports learning by maximizing working memory. I’m not an expert by any means on this area of research, but It is quite interesting to think that widely accepted evidence-based principles on instructional design/learning like multimedia theory have not been confirmed for very common disability experiences such as dyslexia.
Overall, it really does seem that we are just beginning to consider and test basic “science of learning” principles with attention to neurodiversity. Indeed, as these authors note, “Research on multimedia learning typically assumes that learning outcomes are the result of the design of materials; however, an equally important but less studied consideration is the role individual differences play.”
I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with phrases like “how learning works,” when it is probably more accurate to say “how learning works for many people”
The complexity control of behaviorism and the science of learning has utterly failed us.
Our students are not surgically modified dogs nor are they pigeons in operant conditioning chambers attempting to learn nonsense words. No child enters a classroom devoid of emotion, interest, or prior knowledge. Owing to the key distinctions between the controlled laboratory and the living classroom, there simply may be no connection between what is taught and what is learned; or between the educational intervention and the desired outcome. This is why, in pedagogies centered on instruction drawn from the narrow view of “The Science of Learning,” behaviorism is a complexity control meant to reduce the number of possible variables between instruction and assessment; to better reproduce the uncomplicated relationship between variables in the Skinner Box. We know from listening to students themselves that there has been a persistent crisis in schools, even before COVID: students ask fewer questions the longer they remain in school, engagement plummets alongside mental health, and absenteeism surges. Ultimately, any science of learning matters far less than its implementation. Maintaining fidelity to what happened in, say, Pavlov’s lab matters significantly less if the practices derived from his work contribute to stress, anxiety, and alienation in students.
If the perfect education system requires that you dehumanize the people in it — adults and kids alike — that’s not a system that “works” by most metrics worth caring about. The kids in our schools have to be viewed as more than behaviorist subjects to be acted upon. If we at least admit that much, then the business of teaching gets far more complicated. Suddenly there are a number of other factors we must tend to that matter a great deal. I’ll quote again from apparent “pseudoscientist” Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, “As human beings, feeling alive means feeling alive in a body but also feeling alive in a society, in a culture; being loved, being part of a group, being accepted, and feeling purposeful.” These are self-evident truths that we are finally beginning to explore the neurobiological basis for in ways that shatter many previous models of the brain that still hold cultural sway.
Beyond Pavlov’s Perfect Student | Human Restoration Project | Nick Covington Michael Weingarth
Building Frankenstein children from reductionist, complexity-controlled parts is morally wrong and utterly wrong-headed. We must foreground complexity as the baseline for the sciences of learning to have any real meaning when applied to the rich complexity and diversity of human actuality.
Stimpunks do a great job reinforcing this through a Neurodiversity lens and are some of the few ND advocates on here who have wonderful language to capture the needed complexities for understanding each human, rather than categorizing humans into buckets.
Further Reading
https://stimpunks.org/2025/05/23/professor-guy-claxton-on-the-science-of-learning/
https://stimpunks.org/2023/11/22/on-the-problems-with-science-of-reading/
https://stimpunks.org/philosophy/were-raising-whole-children-not-frankenstein-children/
https://stimpunks.org/2023/12/10/a-neurobiological-basis-for-progressive-education/
-
The Incredible Inconvenience of the Neurodivergent to the “Science of Learning”: You’ll Never See Us Through Your Complexity Controls
Neurodivergent people are treated as noise to be filtered out in most studies supporting the “science of learning”.
The thing is, research like this — serious scientific research into Autism — has historically treated the subjective experiences of its subjects as noise to be filtered out. They all think they can accurately read our emotions if they need to and so don’t need to ask us.
We are discounted as outliers.
The varied and dynamic nature of learning environments – too many variables to isolate one out, the way norm-referencing is leveraged to discount outliers, and the lack of applicable research on neurodiverse students – necessitates a more flexible and holistic approach.
Beyond Pavlov’s Perfect Student | Human Restoration Project | Nick Covington Michael Weingarth
Our needs and ways of being are deemed too inconvenient to consider.
Which is why the Disability Industry, the SpEd/SEN leadership, and so many groups of frustrated middle-class parents do not, and may not ever understand people with disabilities. Those groups want us to be like them, or want to sell parents and schools “cures” that will make us be like them. They want me to read the way they do, and to read as fast and as “accurately” (which refers to grabbing plot points, nothing else) as they do. They want me to sit still and focus “on the task at hand” the way they do. They want me to move as they do. Think the way they do. Speak the way they do. Understand the world the way they do. All, of course, in pursuit of capitalist conformity and efficiency. (see Stimpunks for the best deep dives into these issues.)
The Incredible Inconvenience of the Neurodivergent. | by Ira David Socol | May, 2025 | Medium
Kids who are different are told every day, every hour, often every minute, by the most well-meaning people, that they are “born wrong” and require repair. And yes, accommodating our differences is inconvenient, it does create costs and work for those with power, but human diversity and neurodiversity, just like every kind of diversity, strengthens every ecosystem.
And believing that, and acting as if you believe it, is the only humane path.
So, the vast majority of studies just ignore us.
This review, which includes 90 studies conducted in 21 countries, reveals that the majority (92%) did not consider neurodiversity as a potential factor influencing cognitive load in online learning.
Our findings reveal a major research gap, as most studies overlook the distinct neurocognitive profiles of neurodivergent students. Notably, ADHD and ASD learners may exhibit unique cognitive load responses, suggesting that established cognitive load theories and instructional design guidelines might not uniformly be applicable in neurodiverse classrooms. Lastly, inconsistent methodologies in measuring cognitive load in online learning point to the need for more uniform research approaches. Future research should prioritise creating adaptive, inclusive online learning environments that respect and accommodate cognitive differences, which will not only benefit neurodivergent students but also enhance the online learning experience for all students.
It is past time to consider neurodiversity. Neuroscience without neurodiversity is often misguided and harmful.
The multimedia principle is the idea from multimedia theory that providing both words (usually spoken) accompanied by images supports learning by maximizing working memory. I’m not an expert by any means on this area of research, but It is quite interesting to think that widely accepted evidence-based principles on instructional design/learning like multimedia theory have not been confirmed for very common disability experiences such as dyslexia.
Overall, it really does seem that we are just beginning to consider and test basic “science of learning” principles with attention to neurodiversity. Indeed, as these authors note, “Research on multimedia learning typically assumes that learning outcomes are the result of the design of materials; however, an equally important but less studied consideration is the role individual differences play.”
I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with phrases like “how learning works,” when it is probably more accurate to say “how learning works for many people”
The complexity control of behaviorism and the science of learning has utterly failed us.
Our students are not surgically modified dogs nor are they pigeons in operant conditioning chambers attempting to learn nonsense words. No child enters a classroom devoid of emotion, interest, or prior knowledge. Owing to the key distinctions between the controlled laboratory and the living classroom, there simply may be no connection between what is taught and what is learned; or between the educational intervention and the desired outcome. This is why, in pedagogies centered on instruction drawn from the narrow view of “The Science of Learning,” behaviorism is a complexity control meant to reduce the number of possible variables between instruction and assessment; to better reproduce the uncomplicated relationship between variables in the Skinner Box. We know from listening to students themselves that there has been a persistent crisis in schools, even before COVID: students ask fewer questions the longer they remain in school, engagement plummets alongside mental health, and absenteeism surges. Ultimately, any science of learning matters far less than its implementation. Maintaining fidelity to what happened in, say, Pavlov’s lab matters significantly less if the practices derived from his work contribute to stress, anxiety, and alienation in students.
If the perfect education system requires that you dehumanize the people in it — adults and kids alike — that’s not a system that “works” by most metrics worth caring about. The kids in our schools have to be viewed as more than behaviorist subjects to be acted upon. If we at least admit that much, then the business of teaching gets far more complicated. Suddenly there are a number of other factors we must tend to that matter a great deal. I’ll quote again from apparent “pseudoscientist” Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, “As human beings, feeling alive means feeling alive in a body but also feeling alive in a society, in a culture; being loved, being part of a group, being accepted, and feeling purposeful.” These are self-evident truths that we are finally beginning to explore the neurobiological basis for in ways that shatter many previous models of the brain that still hold cultural sway.
Beyond Pavlov’s Perfect Student | Human Restoration Project | Nick Covington Michael Weingarth
Building Frankenstein children from reductionist, complexity-controlled parts is morally wrong and utterly wrong-headed. We must foreground complexity as the baseline for the sciences of learning to have any real meaning when applied to the rich complexity and diversity of human actuality.
Stimpunks do a great job reinforcing this through a Neurodiversity lens and are some of the few ND advocates on here who have wonderful language to capture the needed complexities for understanding each human, rather than categorizing humans into buckets.
Further Reading
https://stimpunks.org/2025/05/23/professor-guy-claxton-on-the-science-of-learning/
https://stimpunks.org/2023/11/22/on-the-problems-with-science-of-reading/
https://stimpunks.org/philosophy/were-raising-whole-children-not-frankenstein-children/
https://stimpunks.org/2023/12/10/a-neurobiological-basis-for-progressive-education/
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SURPRISE VIDEO THIS WEEK! Didn't think I would have time to get this ready (it's been a busy week) but I managed to finish just in the nick of time :)
Epic Seven gets a collab with the awesome anime "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End." Time to come back and pull for Frieren and Fern!
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Lloxie x Nick by Jackunator
Aaaaand here's the other com I got from https://www.furaffinity.net/user/jackunator! First boi!Llox a good time humpin' the bnuuy, now fem!Llox gets some good lovin' from the fops! X3 Now I just need to eventually get some art with both at the same time, hehe~
#furry #furryart #cum #orgasm #orgasmface #cuminvagina #creampie #commission #lloxiecharacter #vulpine #nonbinarylore #glasses #purplehair #r34 #redfox #male #intersex #vaginal #vaginalpenetration #missionaryposition #matingpress #legsup #NickWilde #phasefox -
Lloxie x Nick by Jackunator
Aaaaand here's the other com I got from https://www.furaffinity.net/user/jackunator! First boi!Llox a good time humpin' the bnuuy, now fem!Llox gets some good lovin' from the fops! X3 Now I just need to eventually get some art with both at the same time, hehe~
#furry #furryart #cum #orgasm #orgasmface #cuminvagina #creampie #commission #lloxiecharacter #vulpine #nonbinarylore #glasses #purplehair #r34 #redfox #male #intersex #vaginal #vaginalpenetration #missionaryposition #matingpress #legsup #NickWilde #phasefox -
Lloxie x Nick by Jackunator
Aaaaand here's the other com I got from https://www.furaffinity.net/user/jackunator! First boi!Llox a good time humpin' the bnuuy, now fem!Llox gets some good lovin' from the fops! X3 Now I just need to eventually get some art with both at the same time, hehe~
#furry #furryart #cum #orgasm #orgasmface #cuminvagina #creampie #commission #lloxiecharacter #vulpine #nonbinarylore #glasses #purplehair #r34 #redfox #male #intersex #vaginal #vaginalpenetration #missionaryposition #matingpress #legsup #NickWilde #phasefox -
Lloxie x Nick by Jackunator
Aaaaand here's the other com I got from https://www.furaffinity.net/user/jackunator! First boi!Llox a good time humpin' the bnuuy, now fem!Llox gets some good lovin' from the fops! X3 Now I just need to eventually get some art with both at the same time, hehe~
#furry #furryart #cum #orgasm #orgasmface #cuminvagina #creampie #commission #lloxiecharacter #vulpine #nonbinarylore #glasses #purplehair #r34 #redfox #male #intersex #vaginal #vaginalpenetration #missionaryposition #matingpress #legsup #NickWilde #phasefox -
Movie TV Tech Geeks #TVNews #MargosGotMoneyTroubles #NicoleKidman Nick Offerman and Nicole Kidman's Twisty New Apple TV Series Gets a Tense Sneak Peek [Exclusive] http://dlvr.it/TSNgkB
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Was meinst Du mit verschwinden? Ungelistet?
In der Annahme, daß es um Tröts geht...
Beim #Zwitschervogel wäre ich raus... ;-)