Sunday 7 October 2007

Princess Maker 4

Okay, here's the basics. Despite that screenshot, this really isn't an RPG like PM2 or Cute Knight. The combat tournament happens only once a year and is completely optional and you have to have raised *non* combat skills to win it.

In this game, you have been given an adorable blond moppet to raise. Only she's half demon or something, and doesn't know it. She's not your real daughter, but she might be the daughter of your old love interest Isabelle (I'm not sure).

Like the other games, you send her to jobs and to classes, while changing her clothes and setting her diet. There's also a LOT of walking around town running into people, so this game will drive you nuts if you haven't got translation tools. Around town she will meet people who will unlock new jobs and classes for you, as well as hang out with her friends. There are three (four I guess but the fourth isn't part of the gang) other girls her age - Risa, who wants to be a knight and dresses in a military uniform all the time except when the other girls held her down and made her wear a dress (she was very grumpy). Christina who is a sheltered rich girl with That Laugh (you know, certain female anime characters with the snobby o-ho-ho) and fancy dresses, and Marie who is a shopkeeper's daughter with glasses - she's a bookworm and sort of religious but seems to have a sneaky sense of humor too, if I understand right. There's also Karin, who's the girl with the pumpkin from that last screenshot, and is a little weird, and I don't know much about her yet.

All the girls, including the daughter, are voiced. So there is much SQUEEING and much of your little angel running up to tug at you, "Papa, papa! Look what I did!" If you go for cute you will be babbling in high-pitched Japanese despite not even knowing how to speak the language.

I have not reached an ending yet. I think you can actually get girl/girl endings with your best friend if you try hard enough... I haven't actually met any boys yet, all the competitors in the tournament are girls! But my baby's only 15ish so she's just about ready to start finding dates, I'm sure the prince is hiding around here somewhere...

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