The journey toward another Rance game has ended and it was a good ride even if it could have been even better. As expected Rance IX: Revolution of Helman lasted me for two weeks and VNR proves to be a very handy tool. While i could have grasped around 60% of the story without translation machine, VNR raised it up to 90% and speed things up. Overall Rance IX is a good game but didn't fully live up to its potential as I feel the game is only around 70% complete. It feels that my expectation toward Rance series is too high due to Sengoku Rance but I suppose Alicesoft at the time just doesn't have sufficient resources to make Rance IX reached its fullest potential.
The main issue with Rance IX for me lies with the Antagonists as majority of them met rather anticlimatic end mostly due to stupid Friendly Fire. Stessel in particular could have been more fleshed out as he jobs really badly in this game for a main antagonist. He is supposed to be the schemer type and had he able to finish his sinister plans, The Humanity in Continent would have faced a serious threat on par with Demon Invasion. But Rance being the ever legendary hero ever, utterly ruined Stessel's master plan as his participation practically shortens Helman's Revolution from 3 Years to less than 3 months, something that is beyong the capacity of the megalomaniac Prime Minister to anticipate.
So in the end Stessel doesn't really put up a good fight for a Rance main villain which makes him look rather pathetic, but in a way Alicesoft tried to showcase that a cowardly villain like Stessel is simply no match for a Hero like Rance who have faced greater threat posed against humanity and came out on top.
Being the Rance game that featured Holy Magic Sect as the primary threat, the presence of the Sect's legacy is rather scarce apart from Bastet and Toushin Rune even compared to Rance VI. As Rance IX unable to realize its full potential, the game feels doesn't expand much from Kichikuou Rance's Helman material. Thus in the end Helman Revolution is unfortunately one of the weaker Modern Rance title, placing itself below Rance VI and Sengoku Rance.
Regardless of its flaws, Rance IX endgame scenario is still top tier stuff and Sheila Helman no doubt the prettiest Rance's fated girls but her romance Rance could have better development. Overall Rance IX is a fun experience despite its rough edges and still manage to maintain the Reputation of Rance series among the pinnacle of Visual Novel world.
Given the lack of exposure of Rance Series outside Alicesoft wiki, i am considering to write a full article for Rance IX just like Sakura Taisen 3 and i think starting from the Heroine IF route would be a good start.
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