This is amazing when I compare Summer Pockets to both Rewrite and Little Busters! which I felt both dragged at times. In the end, and many tears later, I had zero major complaints about any of the routes. This is reinforced on how the girls continue to interact with each other in each of their individual arcs, which is a big contrast from previous Key titles. One of my favorite things about Summer Pockets’ narrative is that while each of the routes begin with Hairi interacting with the girls on a regular everyday basis, each of them eventually slowly integrates supernatural elements that compliments the game’s mythos. Without wanting to give away too much, most of the game’s real meat comes from Alka and Pockets routes which beautifully weave the game's final narrative together to tell a touching familial tale.

Although she initially comes off as a recluse in her arc, it’s hard not to root for her by the time the player gets around to the game’s final routes.

Even Tsumugi, who I dismissed early on as I felt her arc dragged, redeemed herself by the end of her route’s bittersweet end.Īs the main heroine of Summer Pockets, I will personally say that Shiroha easily lives up to Key’s other main heroines such as Nagisa and Misuzu. From Kamome, a girl who longs for adventure, to Ao, the game’s neighborhood tsundere, each of the four girls brought her own unique fresh breath of air that made them easy to relate to. Although some of the game’s heroines initially feel like they rely on anime tropes, I was pleasantly surprised with how complex some of their backstories were by the end of their routes.

The two split production on the game’s true routes Alka/Pockets along with the arcs for the game’s charismatic cast. As a result, although Maeda pitched the idea, he didn’t write the story instead, the responsibilities fell to Kai and Niijima Yuu. Pitched as an idea by famed author Jun Maeda, Summer Pockets borrows a lot of themes and elements from earlier Key titles, specifically Air and CLANNAD. Coming off of the action-thriller Rewrite, which received mixed reactions from both fans and critics, the company wanted to return to its roots of producing games to make readers cry.

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