Review for Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds. Game for PlayStation Vita, the video game was released on 15/09/2015
The world and the videogame market is full of visual novels, much more than the "average" player can imagine. Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds on PC is the porting of the remastered edition of the original PSP title, released in 2008 and part of a brand known both for video games and for its numerous animated works.
Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is one otome visual novel and, as such, points to a purely female audience. Set in nineteenth-century Japan, the young protagonist of the story, whose name can be personalized (unlike her surname, Yukimura, which has narrative relevance) decides to reach Kyoto in search of his father, who had left for work some time before and from whom he has not received more news.
Having become an unfortunate witness to a disturbing massacre in the alleys of the city, the girl is "kidnapped" by Shinsengumi (a police force whose purpose was to track down and stop the supporters of the emperor in Japan in the second half of the 1800s) who, by "pure coincidence", are in turn in search of the missing parent; Upon learning of Yukimura's true identity, they will agree to collaborate in the research, although the motivations that drive the Shinsengumi are not limited to simple and idealized chivalry.
As expected, given the videogame genre of which Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is part, the main purpose of the player is weave s between the protagonist and the main characters; the with the latter varies according to the responses and choices made during the adventure, until it leads to real romance. It should be made clear that (excluding exceptions) the otome generally offers platonic s or that in any case we leave ample room for imagination, without therefore real "a la Bioware" scenes, whose titles point more to "cinematic" s , less fairytale.
Despite its idealism, Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds does not fail to offer extremely strong and raw scenes. The large cast of characters it is entirely voiced in Japanese, with the exception of the protagonist, to provide maximum immersion; the accompanying music is never invasive and, although not numerous, perfectly render the atmosphere of each scene and do not tire the ear. Unfortunately, the Spanish language is not present in the menus and subtitles, which is to be expected in the case of titles of such a niche genre, but the English localization is almost free of linguistic errors.
The narration and the dialogues between supporting actors obviously make up a good 90% of the gaming experience and Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds it is therefore not suitable for those looking for a dynamic or frenetic title: introspection is a constant presence, the protagonist's reflections on events and her predictions and choices about the future are essential to identify oneself as far as possible, given the historical and cultural differences between that and modern society.
Beyond what subjective tastes are, Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds definitely delivers a well-written story with a variety of characters, many of which unfortunately fail to break away from the topoi typical of oriental stories and evolve little and nothing during the succession of events, but which are still consistent and steadfast in every sentence and action. There is no shortage of moments of amazement, given the great aura of mystery present around the events of the first hours of the game and in spite of an almost entirely female target, at "slice of life" situations and romantics are flanked by deeply bloody events.
The eye also wants its part and, in addition to the aforementioned musical accompaniment, much of the artistic work of the title is present in the visual sector: the design of each character is varied and convinces, although - as can be expected - anthropologically inaccurate : almost twenty warriors to meet and have amiable conversations with, one more fascinating than the other, each with his own character but always, naively prone to embarrassment in front of a shy, sweet girl.
Both the sprites of the supporting actors and the backdrops that accompany the scenes are done very well, even if a greater variety would not be spoiled. Lacking the actual videos, the cutscenes and banters are created by “animating” the static drawings and while this may sound prehistoric to the ear of younger players, the result works and doesn't detract from credibility at all.
With multiple choice dialogues and situations in which the decision made modifies subsequent events, Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds grants a convenient quick save and quick load system, already present in the PS Vita version but even more comfortable, of course, in this PC version. Last, but not least, the presence of a gallery which collects images and events experienced so far and a glossary / encyclopedia, to clarify political terms and situations alien to the normal knowledge of the modern player.
Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is a niche title, of a particular genre and with several springs on its shoulders: this has not seriously affected its quality, but it is likely that those interested in the title at the time of its release have already played it More and more times. For the rest of the public, it remains a valid product with solid foundations, which with this porting PC eliminates the convenient portability, but enhances the aesthetic quality and the identification potential.
► Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds is a Visual Novel game developed by Otomate and published by Idea Factory for PlayStation Vita, the video game was released on 15/09/2015
