So, for the past couple of weeks, I've been playing an ero RPG, Sengoku Rance. Now, this is my first one, so I have nothing to really compare to when reviewing, but I played it more like a strategy game anyway. I enjoyed it quite a bit, sinking lots of hours to see all the endings and try all the difficulties.
To start off, this game was nothing like your run-of-the-mill ero game, which is usually more of a story than anything. This game played like a strategy game, much like Shogun 2: Total War, which is a genre I greatly enjoy. Before I go any further: if you want to try it, then you can get download links here, and the English patch here. The patch page is pretty informative on how to get it working, so I'll leave it at that. Onto the review:
Gameplay
Both this game and Shogun 2 really beat into me all the nations involved in the Sengoku Era. Considering how popular a story it is, I assume it won't be the last time I see it. The gameplay is much like Civilization or Total War, where you're building your army and infrastructure. The fighting is where it differs; this fights much like any other turn-based RPG battle. You also level up your commanders for plot-based battles or dungeons for some extra loot. Depth-wise, it doesn't compare to most games nowadays, but it is probably miles ahead of any other ero game out there. It helped that this was also a genre I enjoy greatly. The game was challenging at times, especially during the first play-through, when I didn't know what I was doing. As the mechanics started to come together, the game got easier, though it is still quite difficult on the hardest setting.
~9/10
Story
The story is very important for a game like this. It was nothing amazing, but not bad. I know history didn't go anywhere close to what was portrayed, but it was a nice twist. I guess Rance stands out as a definite "go-getter", better than your average anime hero of late. Seeing the couple of different storylines was nice, too. I guess I just didn't pay as much attention or nothing stood out too greatly for me. It was a pretty simple story with some humourous moments.
~7/10
Graphics
Well, I don't know what you're expecting, but obviously it doesn't compare to most other games. From what I've seen, it is about the same level of graphics as any other visual novel, so I'm kinda conflicted where to rate this. Obviously, the rating changes drastically depending on which scale I'm using. So, I decided to take the in-between score of these two sides. It was nothing spectacular - but, then again, what are you expecting? I guess I was also never one to care much about graphics.
~5/10
Sound
I muted it at most points so I could play my own music, so I can't even rate this. Generally, music has very little impact for me in games. D:
~N/A
Replayability
You get scored. At the end of the game, your fine score determines what you can get in the next play-through. The points can be spent so that your next play-through would be easier. You can also get other endings in subsequent play-throughs, ones that are not possible in the first one. This is more to see the other storylines and get a chance to play harder difficulties. I played it through a couple of times, so there's definitely high replayability.
~9/10
Personal Satisfaction
This is definitely up there as extremely fun. I love this type of genre in a game, which is probably the biggest thing for me. Admittedly, the strategy aspect isn't too high once you figure everything out. It was still quite enjoyable to figure things out and play one of my favouite genres.
~10/10
Overall
It's definitely nothing like your average ero game that plays like a story. Other than graphics, this ranks pretty highly when compared to many other games I've played. I guess a fairer comparison would be to DS games, which have lower graphics. The core of the game is fun for those looking for an ero game and even those just looking for a strategy game. It was definitely an amazing game, well worthy of translation.
Final Score: 8.5/10
Edit: Here are some extra links that might be useful. A wiki with all the game info you need. This is a page about the Rance universe if you were interested.
Side note: I decided to pick up a more tradition ero game, Saya no Uta. It might be a bit too gory for me, though; I'll see.
~Pearz
