Fighting monsters and dating boys in Hiiro no Kakera
by Candace Savino 
{ Jun 2nd 2008 at 7:00PM }
What makes this title stand out from some of the others in its genre is its fantastical plot. The heroine is a girl named Tamaki, who starts seeing monsters in her small, mountain town. With her sacred sword and the help of six studly (and eligible) bachelors, Tamaki must defeat the monsters and save her village from destruction. A little dating on the side couldn't hurt, though, could it? In fact, that sounds like a good gig to us.
Hiiro no Kakara was actually a PS2 title first, but voice-acting and other content were added for the DS version. The game also boasts some nice artwork and imagery, making it a visual novel of sorts. Unfortunately, there's also a lot of kanji in this otome, so unless you can read kanji well, you'll probably be in for a struggle. Should you be determined to give it a try anyway, Siliconera has a handy guide for starting up your game. If you're looking for an easier otome to get through, though, Lada recommends trying Tokimeki Memorial: Girl's Side 2nd Season.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mr Khan @ Jun 2nd 2008 7:28PM
Wait. Voice acting was ADDED to the DS version from the PS2 version?
You'd think it would be the other way around
Candace Savino @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:52PM
Yeah, this was the case with Tokimeki also, and perhaps other PS2 --> DS otome remakes. They really squeeze as much as they can into the 256mb carts.
Nigeria @ Jun 2nd 2008 7:49PM
I wish we could get some English language visual novels, as well.
Maybe not the same subject matter - though the headline was eye catching.
Eleniel @ Jun 2nd 2008 11:15PM
That sounds like a dating game I would actually play!
Jenni @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:35AM
Voice acting was in the original PS2 version as well. But additional acting was added for some new scenes.
It really isn't too bad, the more I play. Its very similar to Duel Love. So if you don't understand Japanese, you can just use the auto-play to skip until you have to make a decision to go somewhere, answer a guy, view a close up CG image or participate in a mini-game. Plus its incredibly pretty. XD
The Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side DS games and Duel Love are MUCH easier to play. A friend of mine who doesn't understand any written or spoken Japanese has been borrowing my copy of Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 1st Love for a couple weeks now because it's so fun and easy to play.
Rigi @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:47PM
My girlfriend just got a DS, and it's her first gaming system and she is really excited and already loves it, however neither of us really know what kind of games she likes yet, since this is her first foray into gaming she is still learning that herself.
So far she is really into Professor Layton (I don't see how anyone couldn't love that game) and I think that she might really enjoy a otome game. I looked through most of Jenni's articles on gamertell.com and Siliconera but couldn't find anything that have made it to the states.
I wasn't expecting tons of titles to pick from but are there any?! I don't think she would be interested if it was an import and she had to decipher or ignore kanji..
If anyone could make a reccomendation (otome or otherwise) I would be very grateful!
Eleniel @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:50PM
@Rigi: Have her try Phoenix Wright? He's pretty popular with the ladies =P (with me, at least!)
Candace Savino @ Jun 3rd 2008 4:20PM
@Rigi,
Unfortunately there aren't any DS otome games in English, possibly with the exception of Sprung, which doesn't really count and is apparently awful.
As for other games, I agree with Eleniel that Phoenix Wright is accessible to all. She might also like something like Cooking Mama, which you can get pretty cheaply. If she likes rhythm games, you could trying giving her EBA. That's all I can think of off the top of my head for now :P.