I've been playing Lucky Star: Ryouou Gakuen Otousai Portable for several weeks now and realized that it's not all it's cracked up to be. Or maybe perhaps I'm not as fanatically inclined to Lucky Star as I once was...
Frankly speaking, I don't know anymore. orz
Marie: I haven't seen any ninjas nor samurai around since I arrived in Japan...
Slapstick Wonder Land's story is told from the perspective of Marianne Von Tienen, a foreign exchange student who will be attending Ayanoi Private Academy in GA Class for just 3 months. Marie grew up hearing wonderful stories about Japan from her grandmother, turning her into a total Japanophile (think Bebe from Persona 3, but cuter and less... um... well, you get the idea). She studied the lingo until she was fluent enough, and did some extra research regarding Japanese culture (mainly the antiquated aspects, which will serve to create tons of humorous misunderstandings upon her arrival). Marie will inevitably run into and befriend the main cast, adding to their already funky group dynamics.
Noda wastes no time in teaching Marie the 101 ways to ruin the taste of good 'ol croquettes, ranging from overusing generic sauces to adding poster color...
...meanwhile, Kyouju takes her unpredictability to a whole new level when she shows up wearing a kimono just because Marie tagged her as the ideal "Yamato Nadeshiko". Eat your heart out, Tomokane!
Though this game is still a galge for all intents and purposes, I have to make one thing clear: Marie is a (straight) girl, so you obviously won't be trying to make anybody from the GA-1 class fall for her (Tomokane's ambiguous behavior might serve to counter that closed-minded notion; still, sorry GL/yuri fans, no real eye-candy for you). Instead, you will have Marie make the most of her short stay in school by planning and doing her special picture book project, getting a more updated run-through of the local culture, and most important of all: having a best friend. The game's ending will depend on which of her classmates Marie is closest to.
Umm, did I just say that there wouldn't be any GL in GA? Scratch that. Marie and Kisaragi look really nice together, BTW.
If you haven't watched the GA anime (or read the 4-koma slice-of-life manga that it was based on), then be warned: Introductions will be everywhere in Slapstick Wonder Land because of Marie's presence, but people new to the title are missing out, since the gags that don't dwell on Marie's erroneous view of Japan will fall on one or more of the main casts' respective character traits and references to the show's prior events. I simply cannot stress this enough: This is a fanservice (?) game more than anything else.
While Kisaragi wasn't looking, Marie swiped her sketchpad to pass the time staring at the bajillion Sunekos the former has scribbled within until the plane lands.
No biggie though, since they're best friends and all. Kisaragi just needs a new sketchbook and a day full of happy thoughts...
Though Slapstick Wonder Land doesn't fully adhere to all the generic tenets of a galge, the cute story will keep you smiling long after you've finished playing it. This is me being repetitive (deal with it), but I strongly suggest that you watch the anime if you haven't already. Why? Not only to understand this game better, but because GA is by far one of the most entertaining slice-of-life titles out there, both in the top-notch comedic quality and the funky Arts 101 bits. It's just underrated compared to K-On, is all.
*************************************************
*BONUS: A bit of in-game lulz with a familiar reference*
***!OBLIGATORY SPOILER WARNING!***
Due to melancholy feelings about leaving her beloved Japan (and newfound friends) in two weeks, Marie's picture book project has been gathering dust and left totally undone. The group collectively decides to gather at Namiko's house to help Marie finish it... Off-hand, Tomokane and Noda suggest that they do the "Yaminabe" (Mystery Hotpot) gig once more, claiming that they've learned from their prior mistake. Despite having said so, the resulting Yaminabe still ends up looking and smelling totally inedible (no thanks to the two usual suspects adding dubious ingredients), and Marie has picked up what she summarily identifies as...
Marie: "...a poisonous mushroom."
Tomokane: "She might get a 1-Up if she eats that."
Kyouju: "Or she might grow bigger."
*************************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment