Flying High Again: An Aokana - Four Rhythms Across The Blue Review

By Manuel

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch

I've lost count of the number of visual novels I've reviewed during my time at A-to-J, but I keep reviewing them in the hopes of finding the ones that manage to stand out in a very crowded genre. Obviously each has its own quirks, but the content and flow often feels the same. Aokana - Four Rhythms Across The Blue (Which I'm going to refer to as simply "Aokana" from here on.) is a visual novel that contains the standard romantic routes one comes to expect, but places them into a sports anime-like setting. It's been out on the Switch and PC for quite a while now, and we're going to be taking a look at it on the Switch today. There's a lot to go over in this one, so let's just dive right in!

Aokana places you into the shoes of Masaya Hinata, a high school student who lives in a world where anti-gravity technology exists and is readily available for the average consumer. This technology can't make a car float, but it can be strapped onto shoes that allow people to float. This is used as a mode of transportation, as well as the basis of several sports unique to this world. One of these sports is known as Flying Circus, or "FC", and it's something that Masaya was a rising star in before he quit for what he thought would be forever. That all changes when a girl named Asuka Kurashina transfers to the same school as Masaya, and joins its struggling FC Club. The club's sole member, a senior named Shion, is trying to revive interest in FC along with his sister Madoka. They're sponsored by a young teacher named Aoi Kagami, who was once an FC champion herself. The FC Club manages to recruit more than just Asuka, as they also rope in Masaya's friend Misaki Tobisawa, and her overly protective BFF Mashiro Arisaka. Seeing as all the people he usually hangs out with are now part of the FC Club, Masaya eventually makes the decision that he'll join too. It's not that simple though, as he decides not to join as a player. Instead Masaya becomes their coach, which is something that's sorely needed since most of the members are new to the sport. We then are treated to a long series of training montages and matches, as the FC Club looks to establish a name for themselves.

Part of me feels like I should explain what Flying Circus is and how it’s played, but it's really more complicated than it first looks. To sum it up quickly, it's a one-on-one sport that involves points being made through either speed or physical strikes. It takes place anywhere in the sky, with the field of play being designated by four beacons. Each player has a particular style, and there are all sorts of strategies that are worked into the game that are a bit too much to get into here. Even though it's a physical game, no one is ever hurt. The anti-gravity field that suspends one in the air also acts similar to a personal shield. This shield means that points made by striking aren't actual attacks, and it also helps keep ones clothes in place. This is of particular importance to girls of the team, as they don't have to worry about constant upskirt angles from below. I only mention that last part because the game goes on about it at length, and I appreciated that it didn't go for the obvious continual fan service that a flying sport would provide. It does still go for that low-hanging fruit, but the fan service isn't as high as I was expecting considering that this was a full-on eroge in its PC version. We'll get to that in just a bit though.

One cool aspect of Aokana is how it tells its story. The game is separated into episodes, and it feels like you're experiencing a drawn out anime series. I say "drawn out" since Aokana did indeed get an anime adaptation, albeit one that left a lot of its story on the cutting room floor. It also offers a breath of fresh air for those who don't care too much for romance in their visual novels. There are a still plenty or romantic bits here and there, but they take a back seat to the far more prevalent sports anime trappings. That's good thing too, as the Nintendo Switch version doesn't feature any of the 18+ content found in the aforementioned PC version. Being a regular player of visual novels, I was certainly able to guess where these scenes took place, and I found that I was glad that they were trimmed out of this release. I'm the last person to call for censorship, but the romance scenes themselves often felt out of place on their own, and I couldn't even imagine how immersion breaking throwing in full-on sex scenes would've been. That said, there are four romanceable heroines, who each represent different paths for Masaya to go down on his FC journey. I've already mentioned three in Asuka, Misaki, and Mashiro, but the fourth is his neighbor, Rika Ichinose. She is an FC player (Which are called "Skywalkers" in universe by the way.) from another school, and one has to wonder why she was included at all. Besides giving players a literal "girl next door" to potentially pine after, she doesn't have much character development outside of going down her specific route. I guess maybe the developers were looking to create a romanceable rival, but she's arguably the weakest of all the heroines.

While Aokana is most definitely a traditional visual novel as far as its gameplay mechanics go, it's one whose choices seem few and far between. It only takes about thirty minutes or so to come across the first in-game choice, but it then takes many more hours until you get your second one. This quickly becomes the trend going forward, and there are long stretches of Aokana that play out far more like a kinetic novel than anything else. This linear approach to the gameplay does make getting through all the routes a bit easier, but it might put off those who look for more story interaction. Since the focus is largely on FC, it makes sense that choosing romantic options is boiled down to something as simple as an in-game choice or two, rather than an invisible love meter. Though a bit on the boring side, this does make it so that it's hard to go down a path you don't want to outside of picking options at random. Then again there's a cool rewind feature, and a skip option, for those who want to get through things even faster.

A visual novel lives and dies by its story, and I have to give it to Aokana​ for creating one that kept me interested throughout. Perhaps my lack of knowledge regarding sports anime left me blind to the tropes the game puts forth, but it felt pretty original to me. The world of FC, and its anti-gravity technology in general, is surprisingly fleshed out, and I was left wanting to know about it. I don't mean to say that the story was lacking in anyway, just that I wanted to game's world to expand more. Besides the setting being well-written, there's also a very strong supporting cast in the game, including several rivals that get characterization as good as the main cast. I don't want to get too deep into the plot elements for fear of going into spoiler territory, but this isn't your standard visual novel when it comes to its plot twists and reveals. There are the typical tropes here of course, like an underdog rising to the top, or the reluctant ace returning to their previously much-loved sport, but it's presented in a way that always felt natural and real. It also manages to wrap itself up in a neat package by the end. There were some mysterious bits of the plot that I assumed would be left that way even in the game's conclusion. I was surprised to find that they were all addressed, even if things weren't always made equally transparent to the characters themselves. There's also plenty of variety in the heroines, despite there only being four of them. I once again could've done without any romantic plot points, but I guess that's the name of the game. It's not often that I play a visual novel that's been out for years and find myself regretting not having played it sooner, but that was the case here.

Moving on a bit, I can say straight up that I can't really think of a single negative point to mention at all when it comes to Aokana's visuals. All of the character designs are perfect, and each of them have several variants to their outfits, models, and portraits. There's no real animation here to speak of, but the amazing art makes it so that you don't even notice that. There's also an impressive amount of backgrounds and locations, with each of them having elements that make them unique. I can also go on and on about the CGs, as there are far more here than any one game has a right to have. I actually though that the game was going to be rather short because I was seeing so many unique CGs, but the game is just full of them. I'm also totally love the art style, and appreciate that it's not simply focused on the female characters. Not only do we get a good grasp on how Masaya himself looks, but Shion is ever-present as a strong male character who has a great design, and is just as important as the main girls. There are also several male rivals and supporting characters who have interesting and varied designs too, and that's not something you see in the genre very often. More times than not, male characters get the short end of the stick design-wise, or are left out altogether. I've played many visual novels that have only one or two male characters, and many others that leave most male characters as simply a voice. You get none of that here, and it helps make the world feel more alive. I can go on raving about how great the game looks, but I'll shift focus somewhere else instead.

I don't want to make it sound like I'm heaping endless praise upon the game, but sound is another part of it that I feel is near perfect. Not only are the vocals songs absolute bangers, but the main music is too. I've talked a lot about "visual novel music" as a genre, and there's none of that here. Many games like this will have music that is meant to exist only in the background, but Aokana has a soundtrack that I'd totally listen to on its own. There's not a bad track in the bunch, and there are several melodies that are stuck in my head even now. Not only that, but the voice acting is impressive too, as is the overall sound design. There's only a Japanese language option here, but that's pretty normal for games like these. It's rare for fully voiced visual novels to get full on dubs, so I'm willing to bet that no one was actually expecting one. I guess the lack of an English option could be seen as a negative to some, but I personally don't mind it not being there. The Japanese voices all fit their characters, and there's some big names in the cast. I once again can't think of anything bad to say, so I guess I'll begin to wrap this one up.

Even though it may not be quite up to modern visual novel standards in some aspects, Aokana is sure to draw you in if you let it. It's always hard to judge the length of visual novels since it often depends on things like reading speed, but it's safe to assume that most players will spend around ten hours or so on each route. There are four very distinct routes here, and there's lots of extra bits to see too. There's also a CG gallery to unlock and fill up, a music player that you can check out, and a sprite viewer that lets you create your own scenes. There's an insane amount of content here, and you can get it all for only $29.99. Not only that, but this is a game that goes on sale quite frequently. It was available for a third of the price when I first started this review, and I think it's more than worth picking up if you're able to catch it during a sale. It may be missing the 18+ content, but I for one don't really mind that. Like I said earlier, these scenes don't take place until towards the end of the game, and they're brief enough that they almost break the pacing when they're included anyway. Having said that, I do of course realize that this will be a deal breaker to some, so keep that in mind if you're planning on picking it up. Other than that, this is my preferred way to play the game, and I can't wait to finish the final couple routes I still have to go through.

It probably won't come as any surprise that I give Aokana - Four Rhythms Across The Blue a full recommendation, but I also have to acknowledge that some aspects might not appeal to everyone. Getting past the obvious, like it being a censored version of a visual novel, there's the fact that it centers so heavily on sports. It may be a made up sport in a fantasy setting, but it's a sport nonetheless. This is sure to scare off those looking for a pure romantically-driven visual novel, but I personally think that the story is stronger for it. If you're a sports anime enthusiast, and love your visual novels long and full of character development, then this is the game for you. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's one of the better visual novels I've played in recent memory. I'm just glad I finally got to enjoy it in the Switch's twilight years, since I'm sure it's destined to fall even further under the radar in the coming years. Grab it now if anything I said seemed interesting to you, and don't look back. See you in the next one!

Check Out Aokana - Four Rhythms Across The Blue on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/aokana-four-rhythms-across-the-blue-switch/

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Story: A+
Gameplay: N/A
Graphics: A+
Music/Sound: A+
Value: A+

Overall: A+

Pros:
+ A cool visual novel with a unique setting.
+ Throws in a lot of elements of sports anime as opposed to the romantic plots that one usually expects to find in a visual novel.
+ The game's sport of choice, called "Flying Circus", is actually pretty cool. I'd totally play a game that featured a playable version.
+ Though romance isn't really the focus, there are four unique heroines that players are sure to fall in love with.
+ The writing is spot on, and the cast is perfect in just about every way.
+ Visuals are perfect, music is amazing, and the voice acting is excellent. They really hit it out the park as far as presentation goes.
+ A very long story, complete with multiple routes, means that you'll be digging into this one for a long while. Combined with its often lowered price, and you have a steal of a deal.
+ There's no other way around it: Misaki is best girl.

Cons:
- The original PC version does have 18+ scenes that aren't present in the Switch version. I personally feel like the game is better off without them, but I can also see why this may be a deal breaker for some.
- The focus on sports rather than romance might also be a deterrent to some.
- There are very few in-game options despite the game's length.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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I didn't say that there was NO fan service...

#Aokana