Gamertell

Title: Science Girls!
Price: $9.95
System(s): Windows (also available for Mac and Linux)
Release Date: May 28, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Hanako Games (Hanako Games and Spiky Caterpillar)
ESRB Rating: N/A
Pros: Adorable character art, multiple difficulty levels, party members can swap in or out of battles, cute story and quite a bit of customization. There’s even a little voice acting.
Cons: Geared more towards female players, though male players will likely enjoy it as well. Not a good match if you don’t enjoy visual novels or JRPGs. Multiple choice answers during play often don’t seem to have any effect on the story.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 90/100, A-, * * * * out of 5

Hanako Games and Spiky Caterpillar have recently teamed up to release the new independent, anime-style RPG Science Girls!. Hanako Games has long been committed to creating and highlight girl-friendly games, titles that anyone of any skill level can enjoy. Science Girls! definitely falls along those lines, with a strong, intelligent cast of young women who are the only ones capable and rational enough to deal with an overwhelming plant menace Science Girls!’ whimsical story and atmosphere, combined with adorable character art, will help it win many fans.

Only a high school science club can stop the plant monsters!

An all girl’s school is under seige by strange, aggressive plant-alien-fungi. Thankfully, they had the courtesy to wait to unleash their attack until after school. Everyone’s pretty much gone, with the exception of the Science Club and the teachers.

Since the teachers are all in a flurry due to the unexpected turn of events, the girls of the Science Club have decided that the school can only be saved by them and their unique skills. Besides, if they called in for assistance, they wouldn’t get to be the ones to write the academic papers on this turn of events.

Cute and somewhat campy

Science Girls! is unquestionably an RPG, but one that is incredibly accessible to beginners and possesses visual novel elements. As such, I could see it working very well as a bridge to help people who normally only play casual games interested in the RPG genre.

It’s a sort of simple delight that you can enjoy for any period of time, which casual players will love. It also has adorable art, a light story with comedic elements and the ability to adjust the difficulty level that practically eliminates any chance of failure.

However, RPG fans accustomed to a challenge will also find Science Girls! accomodating as it has higher difficulty settings. Players are also able to completely customize each character to his or her liking as they level up.

In battle, all of the party members appear, and everyone gains experience. Only, the first three in front are the only characters who can actually act. You’d think that the back row characters would still be able to use their skills, but no. Instead, the back row characters act as reinforcements. If you need one of their abilities, you can swap them up front to have them act. Or, if one of the front line characters’ HP hits 0, a back row character will automatically step up to fill in.

An indie game done right.

Hanako Games and Spiky Caterpillar’s Science Girls! is a refreshing RPG that straddles the casual and RPG genres. It’s simple and easy enough to play and understand to help beginning players get into it, not to mention it can be played for any period of time. On the other hand, RPG fans will appreciate the JRPG references, customization and challenges offered at higher difficulties.

Site [Science Girls!]

Check out the gallery: Science Girls!