BU$TAFELLOWS 💰 Prologue and Chapter 1 : リンボ (Visual Novel Book Club)

Prologue and Chapter 1 : リンボ route

This is being read as part of the Visual Novel Book Club. Another VN, 9-nine-ここのつここのかここのいろ, is being read at the same time, feel free to join both clubs!

OBS! If you are interested in trying, the first chapter (and prologue) of BU$TAFELLOWS is free on mobile, and the first chapter is also on youtube (not sure that includes the prologue though). See the home post for links.

bustafellowsCover
BU$TAFELLOWS :moneybag: Home Thread

Next Part: Chapter 2

Reading + Choices

Week Start Date Chapter
Week 1 Dec 16th Prologue + Chapter 1
Week 2 Dec 23rd Cont.

The choices are under double spoiler. So you can unblur one choice at the time (minimizing spoilers). OBS! Some/all* choices have a time limit.
*I don’t know if it is all yet, so I will update when I know

Choices for Chapter 1 (prologue has none) for リンボ route in order:

この街の犯罪について

シューホーンだった

※時間切れ

ちょっとムカつく人だと思った

お金よりも特ダネが欲しい


Guides if you want to check choices yourself (link to English guide for those reading on PC)

These are the general links to the guides. You’ll need to navigate to the current route yourself.
Japanese guide #1
Japanese guide #2
English guide - this is a review (that links to all the guides), so don’t read past the walkthrough links unless you are okay with spoilers. It does note when minor spoilers start and then major spoilers. Reader beware!

Discussion Rules

  • Please use spoiler tags for major events in the current chapter/part and any content in future chapters/parts.
  • When asking for help, do your best to provide context. Pasted text, screenshots, descriptions, etc. Unlike book clubs we can’t flip to relevant pages, so we may need a little help identifying exactly what is being discussed.
  • Feel totally at ease to ask questions or give your thoughts, any time! Clubs live and die by participation, and asking whatever question you have, no matter how silly it may seem, helps others who are reading it and even the answerer themselves.
  • Have fun, and do your best to interpret anything said with as much good faith as possible :slightly_smiling_face:

Participants

Mark your participation status by voting in this poll.
(Please feel free to update your status whenever you like!)

  • I’m reading along
  • I have finished this part
  • I’m planning to read this VN but will start later
  • I am not reading this VN

0 voters

8 Likes

As noted in the main post, the end date is preliminary, but read as if it is the one we’re going for, because this VN is long. Yes, I know I keep saying that, but it is important to realize we might have to spend quite a bit of time every week reading.

If I missed something above, please let me know. Or if I made any mistakes… :sweat_smile:

I’m copying the choice answers straight from a guide, so if they are wrong, I apologize (either in wording or we don’t end up on the right path! :scream:)

I know the format of the main post looks a bit different from how @Daisoujou makes their club threads. Hopefully that doesn’t matter to anyone, but if it does, I’ll change things around. I just like this organization. xD (Mostly copied from Orange, the other club I run.)

Anyway, I hope we all enjoy this VN. And that scheduling somehow just works out well. :joy:

PS. Definitely post questions whenever, but also impressions and such can be posted throughout since we’re reading this over two weeks. Just make sure to tell how far you’ve read with as few spoilers as possible.

6 Likes

I just started reading on Switch, and… am I just stupid or is the only way to advance dialog/text boxes to turn on auto mode? Because I can’t find a button that moves to the next text box/dialog.

The only way I’ve been able to is to turn on auto until the next textbox appears, then I turn it off and read/listen, and then auto on again. Rinse repeat.

EDIT: Thanks to @pm215, I learned that you can click the screen (in handheld mode) to advance the text. No need to use auto.

Also, hello crime vocabulary! :joy:

4 Likes

That’s awesome, thanks :smiley:

Thanks for that too :heart_eyes:

Ready to go then!

3 Likes

Found this one:

But not sure that this is a switch controller :sweat_smile:

Took me also a while to find out that “Home” was the menu on PC

5 Likes

On Android advance text is ‘tap screen’; bringing up the menu is a two-finger touch (this is where the help is that tells you about all the other controls); one finger slide right toggles skip mode; slide left toggles auto mode; slide up brings up the text log; slide down to hide/show the onscreen dialogue line.

5 Likes

Is it possible to see / replay the previous lines? I’ve only played one VN before, CLANNAD, and you could do that there, so wondering if it’s possible here and I’m not seeing the option, or not possible?

5 Likes

Wow, some words are tough even in the English version (looking at you, “wounds inflicted pre-death to the ulna and radius”!), good luck :sweat_smile:

7 Likes

If you go into the text log (looks like that control screenshot calls it the “backlog”) you can scroll up and down in it; there’s a button to replay the sound for spoken lines, and one to rewind the game to that point.

6 Likes

Thanks, @pm215! Clicking the Switch screen works to advance text. (Not sure what might work in TV-mode, I always play handheld.)

3 Likes

Ah, thanks I found it now! “End” button on PC :slight_smile:

Edit: Very important to know where the Text log is! Sometimes after a change of scene, there will be no subtitles, only the voice, so it’s nice to be able to go back there and see what they said, when you are not yet fluent in Japanese :sweat_smile:

5 Likes

Maybe there could be a mention in the home post that the first chapter is on youtube legally (right? or I remember wrong), if people want to try it there before committing to buying and joining the club?

3 Likes

I am up to the first choice point so far. The さ character in the game’s font is particularly irritating…

7 Likes

Yeah, it is a very weird font for sure.


@Akashelia I did add the info.


Because my day got away from me, I only managed to finish the prologue. Which is indeed short as advertised. ^^

6 Likes

Oh wow, I regret not reading this thread before starting. Those are some jank controls. I had to open the Steam overlay and thankfully (sadly?) the first “guide” was for the controls.

Is there a way to replay audio outside of the backlog? I’m on team “listening practice”, but really it’s a sin to have voice acting and no easy to way to replay lines. There were also like two lines in the (absurdly short) prologue that didn’t seem to have accompany text or log entries. Guess I have to stay on my toes for this one.

Edit: Grateful I took human anatomy in high school right now…

8 Likes

From what I saw, the very first line that is voice acted but never on screen was in the log, but the one Touta says right as the prologue ends wasn’t in the log when the video that played finished.

5 Likes

It seems to be a recurring thing when transitioning into a new scene, but it’s good to know at least the lines leading in logged if nothing else. Feels awkward, but I’ll take it.

Have to take a break for now to cook brunch for the family, but the first chapter is surprisingly long. It goes on well past those choices in list in the OP. Awkward port aside, my initial impressions of the game itself are fantastic. There’s a lot of attention to odd details I don’t usually see happen, like the first scene with Mozu they actually panned the dialogue from the background characters to the side he’s looking. It’s one of those things that would be kind of lost on a mobile first application. I also really like the dynamic backgrounds and that nice transition where the camera kind of flies away… you’ll know it when you see it. I didn’t check out much of this game during the voting period, but excellent choice!

Also, landlady please T_T

Edit: I take back my compliments. I can’t figure out how to shut off the game on PC LOL

7 Likes

We are reading it over two weeks. Considering the length of the VN in total, I expect most parts will be rather long, since there are rather few of them.

2 Likes

Using Alt + F4 here :sweat_smile:
Also I logged on my steam account on another PC and couldn’t see my save there so couldn’t continue playing! :frowning: Is it the same for you? (if it’s possible for you to test)

Edit: seems like I’m not the only one with the issue :frowning: Steam cloud? :: BUSTAFELLOWS General Discussions

5 Likes

Oh wow… I was thinking of doing a fresh install on my pc soon. Definitely would have lost all of my progress if I didn’t know that >< Thanks for the heads up!

4 Likes