«©NCSX»
"Boys Love" games aren't screaming up the sales
charts but they have their loyal audiences.
Sometimes all one can hope for is a successful
niche in the wild, woolly, and fickle world of
gaming. Togainu no Chi was originally
released for the Japanese PC in 2005 and has
garnered a devoted (mostly female) fan base over
the past few years. The publisher Nitro+ ported
the game to the Playstation 2 in 2008 where it
went on to sell 50,000 copies. This week, Togainu
no Chi attempts to find yet another audience on
the PSP.
The backdrop of the game is a dystopian Japan after the ravages of
a third World War. The story follows the
tribulations of a reluctant warrior named Akira
who fights for his freedom in the Igura Tournament
which is administered by a drug kingpin. Fighters
in the Igura battle each other to the death and
gather their opponents' dogtags as they move their
way up to the final conflict against the kingpin
of the Vischio mob.
The mature content in the PC original has been
wiped from the PS2 console and PSP handheld
conversions of the game to make it somewhat family
friendly. The characters in the game are
invariably chiseled, dark, somber, and apparently
appealing. The PSP version features a new
character named Yukihito whose voice is provided
by Hiroshi Kamiya, a new opening movie, exclusive
CG events, new voice dubs, and updated music to
present a more palatable value proposition to
players who've already played the game on the PC
and/or PS2. Players may choose to view the game in
16:9 ratio (new PSP mode) or the original 4:3
aspect with borders.
Two bonuses are included in the limited edtion of
Togainu no Chi as follows:
» Akira Nendoroid Petit figure with knife
prop and circular display stand
» Mobile phone strap which features an
image of Akira holding his blade
The game and bonus items are packaged in a compact cardboard box.
