Tokyo School Life PC Review by Lolinia of We Touch Games – Developer: M2 Co., LTD – Publisher: Dogenzaka Lab – Genre: Visual Novel
Tokyo School Life is a visual novel developed by M2 Co., LTD and published by Dogenzaka Lab. It’s a fun little visual novel that gives you some insight into Japanese culture. Traditional foods, the effect of western culture on fashion, and how the Japanese deal with fans of anime and manga are all dealt with during certain respective routes. The main character is a bit dopey, but still rather likeable. He is by far the worst part of the game.
The story is about a high-school aged boy from an unnamed country who comes to stay in Japan through an exchange program. You start the game by arriving in Japan and accidentally bumping into and knocking down one of the other main characters, gaining her ire. You later learn that she is your classmate. Through a series of events, he ends up living with three classmates at a local shrine. (I SMELL ROMANCE!) During your stay there, your interactions with the three girls lead to a possible 4 endings. However, the romance felt rushed and unpolished at some parts in each of the girl’s routes.
While the basic plot of the game is far from unique, it is rather enjoyable because of the unique character development present in both the common route and specialized routes. Not only do you, the player, garner more knowledge about Japan that you most likely didn’t know, but you also get to see the main character grow and develop as a person as well. It reminds me of Go! Go! Nippon! a little with how much random knowledge it gives you, but the focus is more on daily life knowledge rather than tourist places. This made me happy as I played the game.
Graphically, the game is rather average for a visual novel. The backgrounds are rather average. The character sprites are a bit above average. The way the characters constantly move about the screen really does liven up the interaction with the characters, but after a while it does feel a bit stiff with some of their repetitive motions. There are plenty of nice CGs and many places shown, but it somehow feels lacking. Possibly due to the fact that it really does weave together a simple daily life with the average place in mind. Audio-wise, the game is wonderful, but the soundtrack does not stand out that much. The voice acting is nice, but like most of the rest of the game, it’s average. While I find that as part of the game’s quaint charm, it feels like Tokyo School Life is panning towards a very niche market of visual novel enthusiasts that enjoy simple slice-of-life types of reading/watching material.
Overall, Tokyo School Life is a game showcasing the average person’s life in Japan during high school. While I highly enjoyed the game, Tokyo School Life feels a bit lackluster in all departments (save for the excellent menus!) while still having an entertaining feel and a simple romance plot behind it as well. Even the surprise message at the end of the game after completing the three girl’s routes felt a bit lacking. At $14.99 USD on Steam, Tokyo School Life would be a game that I recommend to wait for a sale and grab it on the cheap. It is a worthwhile read and it does give a lot of knowledge even with its dopey main character, but I just can’t imagine feeling like I got my money’s worth out of the game.
Lolinia gives Tokyo School Life a Drastik Measure 5.6 out of 10.0 (56).
