[PSP] もっと NUGA-CEL!

I'm not going to mince words with you here: serious (and some not-so-serious) non-Gundam war sims bore me to tears. I've tried games like Daisenryaku, Nobunaga No Yabou and Moe Moe Niji Taisen Ryaku. None of them have peaked my interest, and moe appeal couldn't save the latter because it depends on the generic stuff too much (and I'm not a big fan of mecha musume characters... I prefer my girls purely organic). If you enjoy some or all of the aforementioned, know that I have nothing against you and commend your far-reaching patience(or fanboy/girl-ism, whichever applies).

Idea Factory's Motto Nuga-Cel! seems like yet another moe-fied war SRPG ported from the PS2, but it put in a few hip recipes into the mix, resulting in a romp that is entertaining, and at the same time very challenging.

 You know you're destined for greatness when the first area you control has an all-too obvious phallic symbol.

The story centers around the continent of Tokyo (yes, you heard right, it's no longer a region of Japan but a stand-alone landmass), with you taking on the role of the master of Minato Ward slash leader of the Red Lance group joining in a long-standing turf war against other ward masters and their own private armies. You accepted the job under the pretense that the Red Lance is fighting for the purpose of quelling would-be conquerors and unifying the continent, but something else seems to be going on behind the scenes...

Clett: Strong, but lazy. She'd rather watch catfights than fight herself.

You have 5 loyal warrior girls (and one talking cat) under your command who support your own megalomaniac unification dreams, but conquering 22 wards definitely won't be easy... the saying "Rome wasn't built in a day" is a perfect fit to the amount of effort that has to be put in: you'll find yourself using up weeks to get the girls to tip-top shape, hiring and training grunts (the sexy kind, mind you) improving their equipment, and strengthening your territorial defenses. Income is earned at a daily basis from each ward under your influence. The more you possess, the more money you gain.

When you reach the point where you have the extra coinage to burn, you can invest in developing the area and build establishments in places that don't have landmarks/dungeons. Though not visibly shown in the map, these structures each have a specific function that will greatly contribute to your army's success: increased daily income, procurement of common/rare items, or extra recovery of HP, condition and costume status at the end of the day.

 While the view can be enjoyable, having your army lose their clothing means you'll have to retreat soon and do lots of stuff back home... ~_^

Invading a ward controlled by a rival faction is a simple, but never straightforward affair. Battles are fought in teams of three, and you can assign a formation point for squad members depending on their specialty ranges (Close-range for Sword-users, Mid-range for Spear/Heavy weapon-wielders, and Long-range for Spellcasters).You win one battle, and the opposing side's force number decreases, but if you lose, it'll stay like it is (or it might return to maximum if you made a dent in it prior depending on the number of casualties on each side). regardless of the result, the day will end, and there's a chance that they will retaliate and advance on the nearest ward you control on the same evening or the following morning. You can choose whether or not to counter it, since you may need to tend to your troops if you don't have a reserve squad. The territory you conquered prior might get assimilated if the defenses aren't maintained, and you must invade it again to regain control.

Once you totally obliterate a rival's fighting strength, their area (or the area they took from you) will become yours. In case you were wondering, it's automatically curtains for the Red Lance group if Minato Ward gets successfully conquered by the enemy regardless of how many other areas you have.

 

Honestly speaking, this wasn't what I expected when I heard that Minato ward was being invaded by "chicks".

In the game, Nuga-Cel stands for "Nurture Garment Celebration", but as people adept in Japanese can very well see, if the title is read in native tongue, it's "nugaseru" or "strip her good".  As such, Motto Nuga Cel's main come-on is the blatant cosplay (the usual fare of Maid, Schoolgirl, Sentai, etc) and panchira overtones left and right.

Unlike most RPGs, grinding isn't useful for anything other than raising HP, so the costumes generally serve as your army's backbone, granting the wearer a number of active/passive abilities and statistical bonuses. Like in Queen's Blade Spiral Chaos, the costume can take a certain number of hits, when that limit is reached, instant lingerie heaven! While it looks hot, being stripped of clothing is bad for your warrior girl as all of her stats take a major nosedive, and she'll become vulnerable to all kinds of attacks. When the costume is about to break or the battle turn limit is close to expiring, each girl can use a unique desperation move at the costume's expense. If you have an extra costume in your inventory, you can have her use up a turn to change into it, but all shredded clothes have to be mended in the shop after the battle ends.

 Now THAT'S more like it! You know what to do, girls... TAKE NO PRISONERS!!!  ...or um, on second thought, one or two prisoners would be nice... or perhaps even all three...

Whenever Sunday comes along, you get a chance to visit any of the girls and talk to them. An event scene may come up and depending on your choices, one of her base stats will increase by a specific amount. Regular visits will also deepen your relationship with a girl, and in turn will affect the good ending path (if you choose to pursue it). Sadly, you can't spend time with grunts, so they don't get any non-costume-based status increases. The funny thing about this game is that while they're awfully shy about losing clothes in battle, the girls don't seem to mind if you spend time with them even when they have next to nothing on. I guess that's loyalty for you?

 Piyo's white eyes are hot enough to make any tsundere blush.

The costumes (default or bought) can be improved using the spoils you pick up in combat, either by exploring a dungeon or fighting rival armies. Their base forms have low ceiling limits, so it's in your best interest to find and combine items that will upgrade the costume to it's more powerful form. It will also serve you well to check out the properties of each costume: sure, it can look cute for a specific character, but it might weaken her against the choice weapon of a rival faction, making her totally inefficient in battle. After clearing the game once, all costume limits will be removed, making battles easier.

 

Our army's wardrobe took quite a hit during that last turf battle... luckily, the Akayari general store is the best in all of Tokyo. No matter how torn apart the clothes get, you can always have them repaired in a jiffy... for the right price that is...

Motto Nuga-Cel! is a dizzying ride in more ways than one. This is still an SRPG beyond the moe and panchira, so individuals who fall under the "faint of brain" category need not apply. While not having a head for numbers and stuff is okay, common sense and attention to detail (not the pantsu pattern detail, mind you) is a definite must.