| Wallpaper Description: |
About Double Cast PSX game and anime title:
Everyone possesses many different faces.
For living...
For working...
And for falling in love...
I wonder how many faces I have?
And which one is the real me?
AKASAKA MITSUKI:
The heroine of the game. Mitsuki is a very energetic girl who pulls you out of
the garbage after you fall asleep there, extremely drunk, after a night on the
town with your new film club buddies. She has completely lost her memory, and
only remembers her name. Mitsuki is also slightly unusual in that when she
speaks, she uses words and a manner of speech that normally only men do, and
overall she is very tomboyish. Throughout the game you try to figure out who
Mitsuki is, how she lost her memory, and what is behind the strange events that
seem to revolve around her...
So begins the introduction to DOUBLE CAST. A glance at the cover might lead one to believe this to be just another one of those love simulation games, but actually playing it reveals it to be of quite a different nature. The first in a series of PSX games called YaruDras (the latest one features character designs by Shirow Masamune), its high production values and suspenseful plot elevate it above the rest of the flock. (YaruDra means \"jibun de yaru dra-ma\" or \"do it yourself drama\".) There will most likely never be an English-language version of DOUBLE CAST, but anyone looking for an excellent anime-style simulation game should not pass this up.
One of the main things to set this game apart is the game system itself. Unlike staples such as TOKIMEKI MEMORIAL, DOUBLE CAST concentrates on delivering the experience of playing an anime. What this translates to is cut scene after cut scene, the story sweeping you along with no pause. Those familiar with SAKURA TAISEN will understand the idea, taken to new levels here. The way the player influences the progression of the game is by making choices whenever the opportunity presents itself. Usually these take the form of answers within a conversation, but there are also times when you have to decide your immediate actions. In any case, it is extremely simple and intuitive -just highlight your choice and press the button. To tell you the truth, I have always hated reading game manuals, especially when they are not in English, so being able to jump straight into the game was a big plus.
Of course, all this would be boring if not for the quality animation and excellent storyline. Character designs are by Gotoh Keiji of NADESICO and BAKURESTU HUNTER fame, and the production studio is none other than the acclaimed Production I.G. The game begins with you, the main character, waking up at a fountain to the face of a pretty girl. You are a high school boy, and this girl has helped you out of the garbage where you had passed out in a drunken stupor. (Talk about first impressions!) As it turns out, she cannot remember anything about herself except for her name, Akasaka Mitsuki. Since she has no place to stay, you offer your own, and so begins your unusual relationship with this spirited girl. When your film club finds itself in need of a female lead, Mitsuki joins in, and from there the main story begins to unfold.
The object of DOUBLE CAST is not to score with Mitsuki, as one might think. The game bills itself as \"suspense drama,\" and the opening flashes scenes of explosions and knife-wielding assailants to the hard beat of the theme song \"Door.\" As shooting of the film progresses, mysterious incidents occur one after another, all centering around Mitsuki. Who is this girl, and what secret does her forgotten past conceal?
The game is divided into \"points,\" or chapters, and depending on the answers you choose you will unlock sequences within the point, or skip one altogether if you have been clumsy. To solve the mystery and get one of the four good endings, as opposed to the 17 bad ones, you will have to be nice to not only Mitsuki, but several of the other major characters as well. It is actually not that hard, but towards the end your answers begin to take greater weight as you move closer to solving the mystery, and one wrong choice of actions could literally result in death. I was rather disgruntled after being bludgeoned to a bloody pulp, but you don't have to worry about frustrating trial and error. After getting two bad endings without getting a good or normal one, the game leads you to a good ending the next time over by highlighting the best choices to make.
It takes less than a couple hours to go through the game once, and from there you can skip all the dialogue and animation to get to the choices, so replaying it is not a tedious matter. While the game seems short, it is actually quite deep; depending on your choices subtle, and not so subtle, changes occur within the sequences, leading you to one of the many endings. As your completion rate rises, measured by the answers you have selected, new choices become available with each play, and you will eventually unlock all the hidden extras in the game. Trust me, though, you will have to really love this game to go that far! Still, even for someone like me who doesn't particularly care for the character designs, the plot holds enough intrigue to last several playthroughs.
The sound is crisp and clear, an absolute necessity for a game that is all voice (except for the main character). Veterans such as Hiramatsu Akiko, Mizutani Yuuko, and Shiratori Yuri are a perfect complement to the constant animation. The music is similarly good, alternating between bright and menacing. Due to hardware constraints, the animation sometimes appears jerky, but the mpeg breakup is minimal and the whole game feels clean and bright even during night scenes.
In a nutshell, DOUBLE CAST has most anything you would be looking for in an anime - humor, action, nosebleeds... yes, even a bath scene! If the characters and designs are your cup of tea, you won't be able to put this one down.
This goes without saying, but to enjoy DOUBLE CAST completely, a decent grasp of Japanese is required. However, in the USA this game seems to be making the rounds among even anime fans who know little Japanese. I suppose it is akin to watching unsubbed anime, so if you don't mind not being able to follow the dialogue, it could still be a lot of fun. |
