Foreword: One game down from the nine I chose this week! Can I finish all these games in time for the next wave? Tune in next time t– /shot
Jokes aside, let’s get right on to the review of Nosferatu. First game by Ichigo Fizz, I remember the parent company, “Fizz” for creating stories that are ultimately crappy, but strangely has a higher character affection for some reason. That’s the same in this game, but of course, more detail can be found below.
Finished in 3 days (darn you, summer classes), I present to you, Nosferatu no Omocha!
Title: ノスフェラトゥのオモチャ☆彡 (Nosferatu no Omocha) [Lit. Trans: The plaything (toy) of Nosferatu)
Producers: Ichigo Fizz
Release Date: June 28th, 2013
VNDB Link: http://vndb.org/v12290
Getchu Link: http://www.getchu.com/soft.phtml?id=768965
Game Type: Novel with themes of zombie apocalypse, albeit with a different setting.
Summary: Hibiki is a human being that continuously runs in fear of becoming “one of them”. After the Blood-Last (or bloodlust?), which left 99.99% of the Earth’s population as monsters called the Spirit Taker, all Hibiki can think of is surviving as long as he can, even as he realizes that his efforts will soon end in nothing.
He is soon surrounded by Spirit Takers, and just as his soul was about to be stolen, a hand gently reaches out to him, telling him that he “…won’t need to run away anymore…” He faints at that moment, but wakes up in a supervision center, where they protect him from the Spirit Takers. However, Hibiki wants to know who saved his life…
Story Length: Moderately Short (20 hours)
Complete Story Clearing Difficulty: Easy
Comments: Very straightforward character choice. No need for long explanations. There are obviously more “short stories” for the three sisters who are the main heroines, than the sub-characters.
Character Design Rating: 7/10
Story Rating: 2/10
Game Quality: Moderate
Overall Rating: 4/10
Rating Comments: We have a title that rivals many other superior games in Character Design, but its story rating drops madly. This is, like Magical Charming, because of explained elements. I’ll list some of the things that the game doesn’t explain; trust me, it’s a long list.
- Hibiki’s properties make him seem to “turn on” the girls around him, which is not explained.
- In the story, it specifically says that Hibiki was attacked once, by a Spirit Taker. This caused immense pain and suffering, but Hibiki did not become a Spirit Taker like them. Why?
- The origin of Anima (the rose-like flower that suppresses the Spirit Taker’s desires)
- The origin of Spirit Takers (the story says that Noel was the “First Spirit Taker”, though)
- and various others.
In that sense, this game seemed like a mindless parody of the zombie apocalypse, but… something didn’t really make it seem like that…
Character Summary: Let’s speed through the summaries! There’s really not much to say about each character, but this section is a good excuse to post “unnecessary” CGs :D
Let’s start with Noel. Your typical loli character, at first glance, you may think of her as one of those selfish and prideful individuals. However, Noel, despite being the “King of Spirit Takers“, and lived for over 1000 years, is actually an amaenbo character (Character who actively pursues the protagonist’s attention), so I guess this kind of “gap” is what I enjoyed greatly.
Noel loves sleeping, and can often be seen sleeping in class. Her favorite food is anything fried (potato chips, fried shrimp, etc…), and will not yield these items to anyone.
Noel actually lacks the emotion: sadness. This is why even when she sees death, she cannot be disturbed by it, and the only time she cries out of anguish is when her body instinctively tries to “take” Hibiki’s soul, as he offers it up to her. With this emotion restored, Noel is “technically” a human, but can live for a very long time, with Hibiki, who is now a Spirit Taker alongside her. (BUT WAIT! I thought Hibiki couldn’t be a Spirit Taker!)
We then come to Misha, who is the eldest daughter of the Nosferatu Family. Despite her hereditary advantage, Noel is a more powerful Spirit Taker than her, because Noel is the “First Spirit Taker”. Misha isn’t too concerned about hierarchy, however, since she doesn’t like receiving too much attention. Instead, when Hibiki tries to do something for the three sisters, Misha says to him “… then teach me– No, teach Noel and me what “Romance” is…”
It is implied that as the elder sister of Noel, she is older than her; and far more mature in certain areas (O.,O). In school, she is considered the “school idol” for her kindness and good looks, as well as her abilities.
Misha’s hobby is gardening, which she tries to keep secret from everyone else. She is the one who tends to Anima and because of this, is the first to realize that the flowers were wilting. Misha also loves reading shoujo manga, despite having the aura of a lady. This characteristic suggests that she knows very little about love.
Last but not least, we get to Amayuki. Mostly the “emotionless heroine“, it’s possible to see that she is not really emotionless; she just doesn’t know how to express herself properly. Amayuki, like the other two, are “amaenbo” characters, and desire the attention of Hibiki.
Amayuki’s background goes back to when she was just a frail child, and faced with death. Noel appeared before her, and turned her into a Spirit Taker, allowing her immortality and the cure from the disease that she was suffering with. However, because of her immortality, she has been treated like a god from her family, which she finds very uncomfortable; she would rather stay with Noel, Misha, and Hibiki.
Amayuki is skilled in martial arts, and uses it often to protect Hibiki from physical danger. She easily becomes jealous of other girls that are close to Hibiki, and often leave the poor guy confused about what he did wrong.
The Four Subcharacters:
Kodama on the right, Paseri on the left.
Kodama: Hibiki’s younger sister and an extreme brother complex, to the point she finds it natural that a brother would lust for his younger sister. Hibiki unfortunately does not think of her as a little sister, because his parents and even Kodama chased after him during Blood Lust. This paradigm sets up the siblings in a very uncomfortable relationship.
Paseri: The student council president in the school that Kodama attends, Paseri attacks Hibiki, trying to take his soul, but is stopped by Amayuki, Misha, and Noel. Despite her punishments, Paseri attempts to steal Hibiki’s soul again, and fails the second time. The third time around, she tries to get closer to the group so they drop their guard, but instead ends up falling in love with him instead.
Riri: Hibiki’s classmate who is also a human being, she chose to become a Spirit Taker on her own accord, because she wanted to understand her parents when her parents attacked her during Blood Lust. Riri and Hibiki start studying together, but end up falling in love with each other in the end.
Melody: The loyal maid of Noel, who is significantly younger than the rest of the sisters. Skilled at all forms of housework, it is Melody’s pride and joy to serve the Nosferatu family. Melody’s story mostly involves her affection towards Hibiki as she sees his diligence and persistence even in such a hostile environment, and “sacrificing her body” in order to confine him as much as possible.
Such delicious events…
Sexual Content: Very High
Comments: Arguably your “Zombie Apocalypse” environment, the “zombie” is replaced by a vampire-like creature called “Spirit Takers”. This theme is maintained throughout the game but… that was all there was to it; Hibiki’s “property” that turned on the girls around him was a convenient plot element used for the H-scenes, and while I did enjoy drooling over Noel, the end of her route was much too abrupt.
But I want a Harem too ._.;
Affection for the Characters: Moderately High
CG Quality: Moderately High
Music Quality: Low
Addictiveness: Low
Conclusion: A parody-like game with the cute theme of apocalypse, but is actually more of a comedy than anything else. Contains cute short stories, but is more of a nukige than a visual novel. Good character design, but almost non-existent story.
ERMAGAWWWD NOEL IS SO CUTE!!!! <333
A brief intro of Noel; as a supreme being, but not too different from anyone else.
Visual Novels and Eroge Review 