Everything from the characters themselves to the background and even the UI are simply stunning to look at.Ĭonsidering this was Winged Cloud’s first foray into the visual novel industry, I suppose it’s not a bad debut. That being said, the artwork is extremely well done and the story itself is entertaining, even if it’s pretty short. The only interactivity comes at the very end, when the player is prompted to select one of two options on how to progress the story. This game is really nothing more than a script and a slideshow. When it comes to gameplay, there’s not much to talk about. But if you’re expecting a VN that’s a “certain type of way”, you’re probably going to be disappointed. Fans of the genre would likely categorize Sakura Spirit as “ecchi” – meaning light and playful. There’s no actual sex or full nudity anywhere in the game itself. However, the story isn’t particularly erotic. The female characters are busty and oftentimes naïve. However, upon entering the shrine he finds himself transported to an alternate time and dimension where he gets caught in the middle of a conflict between the local authorities and a duo of humanoid fox-girls.Īs you might expect, the story is full of cutesy, bishōjo motifs. In order to settle his nerves, he visits a religious shrine in a nearby forest to pray for good fortune. Sakura Spirit is a story about a young martial artist who is about to participate in a major tournament. Instead, this company is based in the west, but they make products that are heavily influenced by Japanese VNs. Interestingly enough, Winged Cloud is not an Asian developer. Sakura Spirit is the first game in the well-known Sakura series of visual novels from Winged Cloud. But the vast majority them seem to be adult-themed and more often than not, anime based. However, as the genre has evolved, some developers have included interactive portions or mini-games. True visual novels (like the ones popular in Japan) typically don’t feature any real gameplay elements, they just tell a story. The majority of visual novels originate in either Japan or China and are later translated to English. They are essentially linear stories that feature still pictures (with occasional animations). In case you are not familiar with this genre of game, visual novels are exactly what they sound like. The bargain shopper in me couldn’t pass up the deal, and as a result I suddenly found myself owning a number of visual novels from the Sakura series. However, several years ago there was a massive bundle sale on visual novels from a developer called Winged Cloud. For this reason, I’ve always avoided the cheap adult-themed games that tend to lurk around every corner of the the Steam online store – particularly, visual novels. In the past I’ve always tried to pick out games that, while being somewhat sexy, have always had some redeeming qualities. Instead games like Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball or HuniePop usually end up taking the spotlight. When I use the term “girly” I don’t mean something cute and feminine like Hello Kitty or The Unicorn Princess. It has become somewhat of a tradition on this site for me to review a “girly game” for Valentine’s Day.
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