Doki Majo Plus

[briareos_kerensky]

You can't speak about SNK's Doki Majo series with a straight face, jokes and puns simply pile up when you heard the games are all about.
To recap, the angels summon the adolescent Nishimura Akuji to the realms above and give him the ordeal to go around and touch girls to see if they are witches; the power rests in his right hand, so how shall we call it? God Hand? Shining Fingers?

Now, the game starts with Akuji and Maria from the first game walking home after school, with the girl wishing to Akuji for a more "doki doki" school life before parting ways.
Akuji is then teleported to the realms above where we know Lulu, a chibi angel with a bloodstained hammer highlighting the first target, the pink-haired cheerleader Maho...sounds familiar? Well, Doki Majo Plus is essentially a remake of the first game with a few extras, including a brand new character named Kiara and an improved girl-Akuji relationship system. Oh, and Star Radish too.

In the first chapter (Maho), the game is essentially the same as before: locations have been redrawn, there are some extra CGs as well more spoken dialogue, but the sequence of locations and things you have to do and collect is the same. The relationship system sounds interesting, but I doubt it will affect anything else than the ending.

[briareos_kerensky]

Second chapter completed, now moving on to Renge. Looking forward to her chapter as she's most likely to unlock Star Radish, a 8-bit style shooter that was previously featured on SNK's website as an April's Fool.

Maria's chapter plays almost the same as before; the only changes I can remember are a dark corridor section where you use the touchscreen to direct a circular light hoping to progress...there are various "things" to be discovered in this corridor, like a voodoo doll, a mannequin (promptly reduced to dust by Maho), the fire alarm, a window that will startle Akuji with his reflection and obviously Maria running at the end of the corridor in a black cape; haven't understood yet if her running is triggered by highlighting a pixel-wide part of the corridor, by clicking on everything twice or simply waiting there long enough. The other difference was that I had to erase a pentacle from a desk, but I'm not sure it wasn't in the first game.

Maho moves in with Akuji after the first chapter and I was able to visit her room; in these rooms you can interact with the environment to trigger dialogues, speak with the girl or -I think- use the mic to pronounce words taken from a diary. Right actions will improve the relationship with her and wrong action (announced with a broken glass effect) will reduce it. If the last icon, a mushroom (...), is available, you'll be able to upgrade your relationship.

Renge is still an SNK fan and still falls in a "trap" for a Phsychyc Soldier cartridge.

Battles are as boring as ever though both Maho and Maria had an extra attack (Maho a cat, Maria a bomb), but since you have a new burst attack for each witch/girl defeated, things can get pretty easy, since bursting does not deplete the standard magic meter used by normal attacks.

They have redrawn touching scenes, and they feature the same "zoom" mechanic of the first game, but nothing really new here.

[Johnny]

So there's nothing wildy different from the first 2 games then? If not I think I'll just wait for this one to drop in price before picking it up.

[briareos_kerensky]

Essentially Doki Majo Plus is a remake of the first game, it doesn't offer anything new speaking of game mechanics, but neither the second chapter did. Probably worth picking up if you never played any of them but the novelty of the game wears off pretty soon.

[Johnny]

Essentially Doki Majo Plus is a remake of the first game, it doesn't offer anything new speaking of game mechanics, but neither the second chapter did. Probably worth picking up if you never played any of them but the novelty of the game wears off pretty soon.

Ah, I see. Well I have the first 2 games so definitely gonna wait for a while before getting this. Same with Days of Memories 3 actually.

[abigsmurf]

Games like this really should be driving me to learn to read (and speak) Japanese. Learning 3 different character sets is a huge task though.

That said, the ToLove-Ru game outdoes DDMS on the touching aspect anyway (and also appears to have it's own shooter game)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw0aL_fVNGk

[briareos_kerensky]

Renge chapter complete.
This one plays a bit different from the original game...had to awaken her in the music room by playing the Neo Geo jingle on the piano (you can only hit the right keys), fill a bottle with some sort yellow liquid to give her power to beat a guy at Star Radish and apparently she moves in Akuji's house too, with her trusty AES as before.

Spent a lot of days trying to hit on Maria, going to her house, tapping random items and chosing random options to have "our" (sigh) relationship go up, but without Japanese knowledge this is a trial and error process...nailed a couple of right options but feels a bit pointless.

On Star Radish: meh. If you played Retro Game Challenge you probably remember Star Prince, which was very samey throughout the game but at least it was fun despite being absurdly easy.
SR is an overhead shooter with a basic power-up system and enemies based on vegetables and the final bosses being a huge robotic radish with a giant yellow eye near the leaves. I know it's a game within a game and you don't buy DMP for Star Radish, but again it has no variety whatsoever and it's pretty poor overall. Nice addition that fits well into Renge's chapter, but she commits the cardinal sin of gaming, she speaks when you play telling you "it's a power up!": now be a good girl and shut up, OK?

During this chapter Eve (the school nurse) invited Akuji to her house for, well, I don't know and now I can go to her house and try hit on her...I love you Japan