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-- A I R : Walkthrough/Guide --
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Insert a large, pointless and stupid ASCII picture here.
Author: White Dragon Nall
Site: http://www.freewebs.com/warriorsofthenet
Channel: irc://irc.dragonwings.org/warriorsofthenet
e-mail: hakuuryuu@gmail.com
This guide uses S-JIS encoding.
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If the above line displays nonsensical ASCII text, blocks, question
marks, or anything similar, then you're not doing something right.
-==UPDATE HISTORY==-
9/11/04: v1.25
Minor updates all over.
28/10/04: v1.00
I finished everything. Great.
================================
Contents:
1- Preface
2- FAQ
3- Game Overview
4- Characters
5- Guide: Dream (Kano)
6- Guide: Dream (Minagi)
7- Guide: Dream (Misuzu)
8- Guide: Summer
9- Guide: Air
10- Song Lyrics
11- About the Author
================================
This guide assumes that you can read Japanese and thus can understand the game.
If you can't, then don't play the game. No point, really.
This guide covers all versions of the game. Probably.
By no means is this guide comprehensive- rather, it's just providing information on
how to complete the various scenarios. There may (in fact, there probably are) other
ways to get the same endings.
Also, unlike certain writers of guides, I'm not going to bother to fill up sixty pages with
instructions on things that are bloody obvious. Who the hell needs to read an online
guide to figure out that you click the damned mouse to advance? Every time I see a
walkthrough with a badly-done ASCII game controller and instructions on how to use
it (press the "Start" button to pause the game!), I feel like beating someone's head in.
Really.
Considering how I wrote all of this on a whim one day out of sheer boredom, some
bits may look funny. If you think so, blame the government. Or Canada. Whichever
you think is more suitable, anyway.
Q: What is this game about? All I know is that it's mentioned whenever people talk about Kanon.
A: AIR is a game by Key, like Kanon, released in 2000. Just as Kanon focused on the themes of
winter and miracles, AIR focuses on the themes of summer and dreams.
Q: Wait, a game like Kanon? Wasn't Kanon an animation series?
A: The Kanon TV animation series was based on the —öˆ¤ (renai) simulation game, Kanon, by Key.
Released and set in 1999, Kanon is still recognised as one of the best games to grace the genre.
The same can be said of all of Key's games, in fact- AIR included. Key doesn't work very fast, it
would seem. In five years, there've been only three games (Kanon, AIR, and Clannad), but they
make up for quantity with overwhelming quality. I may be exaggerating, but probably not that much.
Q: i cant reed japnese 2 taech me how k plz
A: No.
Q: A wossname simulation game?
A: Renai. "—öˆ¤ " ("ren-ai", not "re-nai"). "—ö" alone is read "koi", and means "love". "ˆ¤" alone is read
"ai", and also means "love". Guess what "—öˆ¤ " means? That's right. "Love". To be precise, putting
two words meaning the same thing together emphasizes the amplitude of the meaning of the word, so
"—öˆ¤ " is a sort of love stronger than "—ö" or "ˆ¤". I think I read that somewhere. It's quite possible
that I'm drunk and/or bullshitting. Anyway, renai simulation games make up the majority of the "”ü—"
(bishoujo, literally "pretty young girl", about, not for) gaming sector. Despite the best efforts of people
who know better, they are more commonly known as "dating sims" to the English-speakers of the world.
They are not. Stop saying that they are. No, you shut up. Yes, you, the one who dresses funny. Shut up.
Anyway, renai simulation games, visual novels, and AVGs (adult video games) are genres so frequently
mixed together that in some cases it's almost impossible to define where the boundaries are. Basically,
renai simulation games and visual novels are text-based games, supplemented with pictures, music, and
more often than not (these days, at least), voice acting. AVGs are games with adult content, which may
or may not be renai simulation games or visual novels. The main difference between renai and visual
novels is the way they're presented- typically, renai games have text boxes in which all the text appear
while the rest of the screen is devoted to pictures, while visual novels usually use the whole screen to
present text (pictures are in the background and darkened so that the text can be read). They are in all
other ways identical. Some claim that the writing in visual novels are typically better than that in renai
games, but that is not necessarily true- the game that this guide is about (yes, I haven't forgotten that
this is a guide!) is a prime example. And there are as many shitty visual novels as there are shitty renai
games, of course. Bishoujo games are traditionally found on the PC, but they're slowly making their way
to the various consoles (the PS2 seems to be a favourite, though the Dreamcast is still getting a
somewhat respectable amount).
Q: Is this a hentai game?
A: No. It's a —öˆ¤ƒVƒ~ƒ…ƒŒ[ƒVƒ‡ƒ“ƒQ[ƒ€, with ƒGƒ and ‘S”N—î‘Î۔Šversions. It's not "•Ï‘Ô" ("hentai") at all.
If you want a "•Ï‘Ô" game, go play ŒN‚Æ’´ŒZ‹M‚Ì‘å—ŒðƒAƒhƒxƒ“ƒ`ƒƒ[, or something.
Q: Can I join your fanclub?
A: Yes.
Q: This is supposed to be a game? What kind of gameplay is this? Why don't you just go read a book?
A: This is a question that turns up surprisingly often, which really causes me to question how people're
bringing up their kids these days. You're obviously not going to find nonstop mind-blowing pulse-stopping
action in a renai game. Don't think of them as games- think of them as digital books. Now, let's look at
that question again. Why not read a book instead of playing one of these games? Why read any book, then?
Playing AIR doesn't have you bashing your keyboard getting a big gun in the center of the screen to blow
peoples' heads off- it has you reading. It doesn't really on flashy lights and bloody bits flying around
to keep your attention- it just tells you a story. Think about that. In many ways, renai games are much,
much better games than the likes of whatever FPS is popular these days. (Kids! Tell this to your parents
and get them to buy the game for you! They won't even mind that it has porn!)
Q: wher cna i get tihs game in engislh
A: No.
Q: Is this game better than Kanon?
A: Hard to say, really. I think that they're about the same in terms of quality. Quite a lot of people
seem to disagree with me, though, saying that AIR is many times greater than Kanon. Of course,
quite a few of them seem to be Misuzu fanboys who think that AIR's many times greater than
Clannad, too. It's all down to personal tastes, I guess. I like Kanon more, myself, mostly due to
the characters.
Q: Should I get this game?
A: Yes.
Q: Why an AIR guide and not a Kanon/Clannad/Da Capo/Muv-Luv/Futakoi/Drill Milky Punch guide?
A: Because I feel like it. I'll probably do a guide for Kanon someday, if only because I love the game
so much.
Q: Where can I get a copy of AIR?
A: Unless you live in Japan, chances are that you'll have to import, or find a shop that'll import
for you. There are two versions of AIR- the adult version for the PC, and the non-adult versions
for the PC and console(s) (PS2, and perhaps the Dreamcast; I'm not so sure about the latter). The
console version(s) have voice acting, while the adult version has adult content. Obviously. A word
of warning, though- as hard as it is to believe, most, if not all online shops overcharge more than
those bookshops you find in airports. If you plan to go to Japan anytime in the future, just wait
till you go there to get the games you want. Of course, it's even better if you can get someone
else to go for you.
Q: Where can I get that ŒN‚Æ’´ŒZ‹M‚Ì‘å—ŒðƒAƒhƒxƒ“ƒ`ƒƒ[ game you mentioned?
A: Try Brunei. Or perhaps Bhutan. I wouldn't know.
Q: Online shops? Which ones?
A: Try NCS (http://www.ncsx.com/) for console titles, or Himeya (http://shop.himeya.com) for
both console and PC titles.
Q: hay ur datez r all rong, teh months adn teh dayz r mixxed up
A: I'm not an American. You know, like most of the people in the damned world.
Stop assuming that I am.
Q: Is there an anime based on this game?
A: Not yet. At the time of this guide's writing (October 04), a movie and
TV animation series are in the works.
Q: I managed to get this game, but I can't get it to work right! All of the text shows
up funny! Do I need a Japanese OS?
A: No. Use Windows XP, and fiddle around with the Regional and Language Options.
Make sure that the files for East Asian languages are installed.
Q: Why can't I access the Appendix option at the main menu? What is it, anyway?
A: The Appendix option is the typical "omake" section you find in just about every
renai game. You can view CGs that you have seen, and listen to the game's music.
To unlock it, you just have to complete a scenario.
Q: I don't want to play this game. Tell me what happens anyway.
A: A wandering puppeteer goes to a town. He runs out of money and drowns himself. His
spirit now roams the beaches at night, seeking respite. Enter Misuzu, a mentally deficient
private investigator. With the help of her sidekicks, Kano and Minagi, she investigates the
paranormal activities taking place and discovers that an army of aliens are planning to
conquer the universe. Leading them is the evil alien overlord, Michiru. When it seems that
there is nothing that they can do to stop the invasion, Kano's sister, Hijiri, reveals that she
is in fact a ninja assassin shinobi samurai kung-fu amazon warrior, and single-handedly wipes
out 90% of the alien army. Michiru, seeing that she's losing, decides that her intergalactic
empire is better off without Earth at all, and releases the secret biological weapon, codenamed
"Potato". It is then revealed that Misuzu is actually an alien as well, and she sprouts wings and
engages in mortal combat with the Potato in the sky above the town. After an epic battle lasting
many days and nights, she finally slays the horrendous beast, and great justice and everlasting
peace are victorious once more.
...the game is the story. Just play the damned game.
When you first start the game, you can start on a single scenario- Dream.
Upon attaining the true ending of Dream (requiring at least three playthroughs), you will gain access
to the next scenario, Summer.
Upon the completion of Summer, you will be able to get the true ending for the whole story in the
final scenario, Air.
A flowchart for the stupid:
Dream (ending 1) -> Dream (ending 2) -> Dream (true ending) ->
-> Summer -> Air -> YATA GAEMZ COMPLETD BIKTORLY!!!!!11
‘è@‰l / Kunisaki Yukito
wcƒƒbƒNƒIƒ“x
(Voice: —ÎìŒõ)
A wandering puppeteer, who recently arrived in town.
Staying in the Kamio house.
_”ö@ŠÏ—é / Kamio Misuzu
(Voice: ìã‚Æ‚àŽq)
u‚½‚¾EEE‚à‚¤‚ЂƂè‚̂킽‚µ‚ªA‚»‚±‚É‚¢‚éB‚»‚ñ‚È‹C‚ª‚µ‚Äv
A lively and somewhat childish girl.
Though outgoing, she doesn't have any friends.
Likes dinosaurs.
–¶“‡@¹ / Kirishima Hijiri
u‚¤‚ñH‚È‚ñ‚¾Aƒ‰ƒuƒ‰ƒuƒnƒ“ƒ^[v
(Voice: “~”n—R”ü)
Kano's elder sister. A doctor. May be a skilled ninja
assassin shinobi samurai kung-fu amazon warrior.
Or may not.
The scenario, Summer, about the girl with wings, is unlocked once you completely
clear the Dream scenario (i.e.- get Misuzu's true ending). Once Summer is unlocked,
the background in the logo in the main menu changes to reflect a scene at dusk.
This scenario has a completely unique cast of characters not found in the others,
Obviously.
`@‚r‚t‚l‚l‚d‚q@i_“Þj@`
Well, there's nothing in this scenario that you'd need a guide for, actually. Just read.
The final scenario, Air, is unlocked once you complete Summer.
Once Air is unlocked, the background in the logo in the main menu
changes to reflect a scene at night. Also, 'Select Game' is replaced
with 'Start "Air"'.
Air is the final scenario in the game, and completing it gets you the
true ending.
Plagiarism is bad. Plagiarism makes evil spirits infest your underpants and prod your intimate parts.
Please, think of your intimate parts. They probably don't like dead people poking them. Do you like
dead people poking them? If so, you need help. Don't be shy to ask for help. I need help too, though
for entirely different reasons. But don't ask me for help, because I won't bother helping you anyway.
ƒˆIƒˆIƒIƒŒ–‚‰¤ƒAƒ“ƒSƒ‹ƒ‚ƒAIƒIƒ}ƒG‚̓E[ƒp[ƒ‹[ƒp[‚̃‚ƒ“‚²‚èƒAƒ“ƒ`ƒ‡ƒbƒvI
?]’|Ÿ», 2004
