Game Review: Trinoline Genesis

Players: 1
Platforms: PC

Trinoline Genesis is a kinetic visual novel from acclaimed studio minori. It basically serves as a Fan Disc for their 2017 game, Trinoline. It tells five standalone stories that follow up, or add to, the first title's narrative. minori as a company might be no more, but MangaGamer released this game on Steam early last year, and we're going to take a look at it. One note before we get started: We'll only be looking at the Steam version, which is an All Ages release and features none of the adult content you can get from the version available on MangaGamer's website. This means that there won't be any 18+ content below, and its presence (or lack thereof) won't factor into the review at all. With that out of the way, let's dive into it.

I went into Trinoline Genesis completely blind to the existing story from the main game. I actually incorrectly assumed that it was a prequel due to the "Genesis" in the title, and figured that this would be best place to start. I was wrong of course, but I think it was a fair assumption. Anyhow, keep that in mind on the chance that you are more familiar with this world and its characters, because I will definitely make a few off references simply out of ignorance.

This refers to her being able to eat.

Dating hijinks are bound to happen.

Trinoline Genesis drops you into the shoes of Shun Nanami. Shun, his family, and his friends all live on an island that feels quite separated from the world around it. One fateful day his younger sister Shirone drowned, and this traumatic event changed his life forever. Many listless years later a new Shirone, or should I say SHIRONE, returns. It's not his sister though, SHIRONE is an android created by his childhood friend Sara Tsumugi. Shun, and basically anyone related to SHIRONE, must now learn to deal with the return of someone they all thought they'd lost forever. Sara is there for some of his questions of course, but he's also joined in this journey by his longtime friend Yuuri Miyakaze. Yuuri is a self-styled delinquent and stands somewhat apart from the main duo of SHIRONE and Sara. This trio of girls make up the main cast of the first game, but Trinoline Genesis adds story content from Hanako Bristol and Ayaka Hibino, characters who only featured peripherally in the first game. None of this truly factors into the five stories much, but you're given pieces of relevant info as needed in each chapter. I'm sure that those familiar with the first game will find more enjoyment here, but I was able to get along without even having to look anything up, so I wouldn't worry too much about it if you're in the same boat as I was regarding past Trinoline experience.

The birthday set-up actually is well-played.

I mean, this is still an anime after all.

Seeing as Trinoline Genesis is a series of standalone stories that follow from the events of Trinoline, there isn't a central plot here. Each chapter tells its own story, and none of them intersect in any way that I could perceive. SHIRONE's plot revolves around her realizing she's not had a birthday, and Shun and company are ready to give her one. Yuuri's story revolves around her impending marriage to Shun (Yeah, I'm a little confused as to this turn of events too!), and how they're acclimating to living together with a stray cat they've found. Hanako's chapter centers on her attempting to get out of an arranged marriage by pretending that Shun is her boyfriend; hijinks of course ensue. Ayaka's chapter is a bit weird... It also is the only one that feels like it belongs in an outright eroge, and not in a standard visual novel. Without breaking the promise of not covering 18+ content in this review, I'll attempt to describe it subtlety. Ayaka's chapter deals with her trying to overcome a certain ailment involving her breasts, and of course only Shun can help her with it. Yeah, really out of nowhere. Sara's chapter is the oddest one as I find it hard to describe exactly what it's about. There is plot there for sure, but it came off rather thin. I kept waiting for things to finally pick up, but they never really did. I guess you can say that it revolves around her return to the island, and how she deals with getting back to her former life with those around her, including her stalled relationship with Shun. All of the chapters are about the same length, but I personally felt that the game focused a bit less on Ayaka and Sara. More on that in a bit.

A silly idea, but it works.

Who can HATE J-Pop?

Now there's a lot of side content to all the stories that keep them from being a bit too one-note. SHIRONE also wants to eat birthday cake, but realizes she can't eat. Yuuri and Shun have to deal with that adopted cat mentioned earlier. Hanako is the head of the Disciplinary Committee and has a falling out with Yuuri, who apparently is the only other member. Ayaka's story is just weird, but it also deals with her opening up in general I guess. And Sara's story? Well, hers also revolves around her being held back a year in school, and her starting a part-time job. It's actually interesting that part of me feels that besides the fact that all the stories involve becoming romantically involved with the central girl, these probably could've been woven together into a single game. Sara's story takes place further into the future, a year or two after the events of not only the first game, but all of the other chapters too. Meanwhile I feel that Ayaka and Hanako's stories seem to fall somewhere before the timeline of SHIRONE and Yuuri's, maybe even within the confines of the first game's timeline. You can tackle any of the chapters in any order, but they are laid out in a way that provides a surprisingly fulfilling story if you go through them in "order". Or at least tackle the three main girls in the order of SHIRONE, Yuuri, and Sara. I can't be sure if any of this was meant to be the case, but it sure felt that way at times.

I'm going to go more in-depth regarding the graphics later, but Trinoline Genesis looks amazing and is practically halfway to being an anime. If it were an anime, it would definitely fall under the slice-of-life genre as there is a certain easygoing-ness that lies beneath everything. Walking to and from school with a girl as you discuss events, all played out in real time, just feels so perfect that I found myself wishing there was more of it. Also, even though there is that general laid-back atmosphere, the game does not waste your time. Everything moves pretty quickly and succinctly, and while it doesn't feel like it's rushing to the ending, it's always moving with purpose and no one scene feels unnecessary or overly drawn out. Besides genre, the setting is distinctly one that you'd find in an anime. A small town, with all the trappings you'd expect, and a school. Everything looks like a paradise on Earth, but the setting can lend itself well to drama too. Every character is in (high?) school, and there are many scenes that take place there, including the typical misunderstandings and school hijinks regarding who is dating who. Actually the fact that every character being a student confused me a bit at first. It wasn't until I actually played Sara's chapter that I realized that she was meant to be attending the school too. I had previously thought she was a few years older than Shun, but it turns out they are in the same grade. Elsewhere expect the usual slice-of-life (and I guess low-key harem) anime locations like a summer festival, the beach, and even an arcade.

The title screen when you're playing at night.

These walking scenes are incredible.

I said I don't want to cover the 18+ content, and that still stands, but I have to say that while some chapters make it clear where the scenes would go (looking at you, Ayaka!), their overall placement had me glad I was playing an All Ages version. Without having to play through them, I can definitely say they would've felt extremely shoe-horned in, as they all come towards the end of the chapter. It's almost as if the developers/writers hit the end and were like: "Okay, I guess we have to give this to you... So here you go!" Ayaka's story might be the only one where this isn't the case, but that's simply because it focuses on the lewd right off the bat. It opens with Shun having accidentally stumbled onto Ayaka while she was changing, and him having seen her "secret" leads the story to exactly where you expect it will. Sara's chapter was written just as odd, but without the direct sexual references throughout. It does share the same level of forced romance though, as much of the chapter seems like it's just the two not being able to reconcile their feelings for each other. I was half expecting it to end in a break-up of some sort, but of course that wasn't the case and it eventually rushed towards a predictable conclusion. I'm not sure if this followed a stronger romance in the original game, but the Shun x Sara dynamic just felt really off, especially when you factor in the relationships he has with the other girls. I guess not all the stories could be spot on all the time, and I'd be lying if I said that there weren't moments in both Ayaka and Sara's chapters definitely did work on some level, but I definitely found some chapters a bit more of a chore to get through than others.

The perfect wedding photo.

Look at that cat's ears!

If there is one place where Trinoline Genesis shines, it's in graphics. Everything is so incredibly animated that I don't know how I'll ever be able to return to static visual novels after this. Each character has several animations, outfits, and even have lip flaps that correspond with their dialogue. It may be a bit boring to say that it made the characters come to life, but that's exactly what it did. The smooth animation is probably how I was able to be drawn into a game whose characters I had no previous experience with, but was still able to find enjoyment closing out stories I was only half familiar with. I mentioned the whole walking to and from school thing earlier, but writing about them really doesn't do them justice. These scenes happen in an almost total FMV way that has to be seen to be believed. The background scrolls smoothly without repeating, the characters turn to Shun and/or look forward at different points as the conversation dictates, and everything else is lively and in motion at all times. The fact that these scenes happen mostly in the early morning and in the evening, complete with atmospheric natural lighting, add to the magic they have. I already mentioned that I didn't see the 18+ scenes, but I can't help but wonder if they're similarly animated or not. Animation aside, the backgrounds are varied and colorful, and the character designs are all perfect. I have no big complaints at all, and the ones I'm going to mention later have me wondering if I'm not just being anal about details. Heck, even the title screen alternates between day and night depending on the time of day you're playing. That level of detail is just insane and it's hard to find fault with it.

This twist actually surprised me.

Ayaka is actually a childhood friend too.

Now, I do have a few negatives to discuss, but I wanted to get all that raving out of the way first. As much as I loved those walking scenes, they were often played out very jittery for me. This wasn't due to computer performance, but due to the fact that I'm the type of visual novel player who reads text boxes quickly and clicks past them before the characters are done voicing their lines. This isn't the first visual novel where this sort of thing causes audio issues (Such as lines crossing over each other or playing over the wrong text box.), but here it meant that the walking scenes often stuttered as clicking through the dialogue too fast would cause the animations to shift before the game wants them too. The obvious solution would be to stop doing this, but it's just the way I play and it's not really something I wanted to adjust. Just for the sake of the review I did try playing them on auto, or even waiting until the dialogue was done before clicking, and they moved smooth as one would expect. I eventually just got used to how they played for me, and it honestly wasn't even as distracting as I'm probably making it sound. Less importantly, some of the art just looks... off. Yuuri and Shun's cat looks weird in one of the shots of Yuuri holding it, and Ayaka's main standing stance, with her hands above her breasts, looks like it was created by AI due to the unnatural length of her fingers. While I feel that the walking animation thing is something that only I will be complaining about, I'm sure that these oddities in the art will be noticed by many. I mean their cat looks like it has ears bigger than its head, and Ayaka's fingers are impossible to not notice once you see it. I guess that can still be a matter of taste, but let's move on.

Facts, but a weird line nonetheless.

I still can't believe she's a student.

Besides graphics, music is another strong point of Trinoline Genesis. minori titles are known for their great music, and this one is no different. The music is all fittingly well done, and I found that many of the melodies were stuck in my head long after I was done playing. That might not sound like the highest of endorsements, but it's definitely a hard line to walk where the music is lively and well-placed, but also not distracting to the events on screen. The music here walks that line perfectly. Most interesting is the fact that each of the five chapters has its own vocal song that plays during the final scene/credits. I'm not sure if these were sung by the voice actress that's featured in each story, but they do all have lyrics that reference the chapter they're from. It's a really nice touch that I wasn't expecting, and even though some of the songs are a little rough when it comes to vocals and productions, it really made me like the game more. Music isn't the only thing when it comes to sound, and Trinoline Genesis is fully voice of course. Everyone, except for Shun, has a voice that matches their character and I can't find a single fault with any of them. There isn't any English-language track, but I don't think most visual novel players would've expected one anyway. The music, together with the graphics, makes for a unique audio/visual experience that I was never let down by. Even when the story was tripping over itself a bit, the music and voices always picked things up.

Trinoline Genesis is a kinetic novel, and that means there are no alternate routes or story paths to explore. You get one story, well five in this case, and that's it. This can be seen as a negative, but I think kinetic novels should be judged on their story content and how it's delivered. Simply put, Trinoline Genesis tells its story in a way that felt like it went far above and beyond what one would expect from a game like this. That counts for something right? I didn't regret any of my time spent with the game, and I even found myself lamenting the fact that there isn't further Trinoline content to jump into next. It's debatable if anyone, myself included, will have a want to return to this game after completing it though, so don't pick this one up if you're looking for a game that will hold your attention for weeks on end. It's best to think of it as going through a standard 12-13 episode anime season, and let the story take you where it will. Thankfully, if you're like me at least, you have an entire previous game to look into after you're done here.

Oh yeah, Sara becomes a maid at a cafe.

I'm going to say this from now on.

Trinoline Genesis is available on Steam for $29.99 at the time of this writing. While this may sound a bit on the pricier side for the 6-7 hour experience it delivers, I have to say that I feel it's worth the price of admission. If you're a fan of visual novels, you're probably going to want to check this one out. If you're a fan of visual novels with an eroge twist, well, MangaGamer does have a free patch you can grab to add back in the adult content missing from Steam. For everyone else this might be an odd start for a visual novel newbie, but there are definitely worse ways to get into the genre than a game as visually appealing as this one is. If you do choose to play Trinoline Genesis though, be sure to tell me who is your pick for best girl. Mine is Hanako. Maybe swing by around later if I take a look at the original Trinoline game to see if that changes, but I think I've made my choice.

Check out Trinoline Genesis on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/984600/Trinoline_Genesis/

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

Overall: A

Pros:
+ Some of the best art and animation I've seen in a visual novel.
+ Music is all great and even features an original song for each chapter.
+ The characters are all endearing and made me want to look into the original Trinoline game.
+ While not a truly in-depth visual novel, it does provide five stories that each take 1-2 hours to complete.
+ Apparently two of this game's characters were just supporting cast in the original game. This is pretty much the only way to see more of them.

+/- There's a free uncensored patch on the MangaGamer site if that's your thing.

Cons:
- While I was able to enjoy most of the game with no prior knowledge of the series or characters, this really is made for already existing fans.
- Reading quickly and skipping spoken dialogue can sometimes make the audio and animations glitch a little.
- Some of the stories seem far more developed than others.
- Since these are all side stories there are no split routes or different endings for one to go back to.

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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Later everyone!

#TrinolineGenesis