Gamertell

Title: Duel Love: Koisuru Otome wa Shouri no Megami
Price: $52.90
System(s): Nintendo DS
Release Date: March 13, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Bandai Namco Games (Bandai Namco Games)
ESRB Rating: N/A
Pros: Interesting mini-games, gorgeous character art and design. Very entertaining.
Cons: It’s quick, possibly too simple for veterans and takes too long to get to the mini-games.
Overall Score: 7/10

Duel Love is a mini-game tease. There, I’ve said it. It feels like a bait and switch. Here you see all of these stories about the outrageous touching mini-games and once you start playing you usually only get one every 20 minutes.

I’m getting ahead of myself though. Yes, today was supposed to be a column on Soma Bringer, however the afternoon before I received an urgent call from a friend with Important News. The copy of Duel Love, which she had preordered, had arrived and required Immediate Attention. So it was agreed upon that such an event required Mature and Responsible behavior and Careful Analysis. Plus Wife Swap and Super Nanny were on, so we decided it would be an Epic Event of IQ-Lowering Proportions.

So, after feasting on Arby’s fish sandwiches (we were going all out) our trial began.

Let me begin by assuring people who can’t speak or read Japanese that are interested in this game that it is completely possible to play through and get a guy’s ending without any knowledge of the language. I just advise saving before making any choices, such as which location to visit and which answer to give a guy. Make one choice, go through with it and see if the love scale for that guy went up. If it didn’t, then reload from the save point and make the other choice.

Round 1: Cast

All of the male characters in here are pretty. Insanely pretty. I know women who would kill to be that pretty. Except for Tomohiko, who is adorable and, still, looks like a girl. I am convinced that if you go for his character, at the end you’ll discover he’s really a women. He’s just too dainty and precious.

Not only that, but they’re all thin as well. Once again, I know women who would kill to be that thin. It is a bit of a stretch to imagine any of them as serious fighters. Especially so since one mini-game involves dressing scratches, but we’ll get to that later.

Despite all that, it is easy to find one or two guys to go for. In fact, I found myself thinking that four of the five main characters (excluding Tomohiko of course) were absolutely adorable. The artist for the game is Hisaya Nakajo, famous for Hana Kimi, so it would be impossible for these characters to not look good.

Round 2: Plot

I can barely read hirigana and katakana, let alone kanji. Neither can my friend. Besides, plot isn’t high up on the list of reasons why people purchased or may purchase this game.

Each guy does have his own little background story and reasons for wanting to be involved in the underground fight club at the school. I’m sure the stories are quite moving for those who can read and understand Japanese.

Round 3: The Main Event

Of course all anyone cares about are the mini-games. After all, that’s what got everyone so hyped up in the first place.

They’re cute.

That’s right. Not totally tawdry. Not excessive. Only slightly perverted and lecherous. Of course the noises the guys make when you start doing well are quite suggestive.

The most common mini-games address your fighter’s injuries. You have to put ice on bruises or sterilize and bandage scratches. They’re surprisingly challenging, as a time limit is set for most of the games and there are certain procedures that must be addressed for success. For example, ice can not be left on bruises for too long, or it upsets the guy. Also bruises and scratches can be hidden under dust, and you need to rub to see them. Rubbing scratches or bruises too much hurts the guy.

Other relatively tame mini-games include going running with the guy, shouting into the mic to support him and give him strength and massaging his back.

The most perverted mini-games are the shower steam blowing and sweat wiping ones. Even then, it didn’t feel like it was any big deal at the time. Yes, there were some giggles at the voice actor’s performance and the whole concept, but it wasn’t an epic moment or anything like that. Amusing, very, epic, not a chance. As you get further in the game, mini-games also appear more often. For example “Round 4” has three mini-games where the three previous ones only had one.

Round 4: The Otome Aspect

Duel Love is, at its heart, an otome game. In case you don’t know, an otome game is basically a dating sim for girls. It is ridiculously easy to make the guys love you in this game. Choose the location the one you likes frequents, choose the right answer out of two possibilities, pick him for the fights and do well in his mini-games. Hardly rocket science. The love scale for Rei, the guy I chose to support and hunt down (I love men with long hair), was completely filled by the end of the game.

You don’t go out on dates with the guy you choose. The closest you come is picking him to participate in the underground fights. You don’t have to improve your managerial or personal skills to get his attention. Its incredibly simplistic. This is good for newcomers, yet somewhat disappointing for veterans.

Round 5: Final Analysis

If I were asked to compile a list of my five favorite dating games for girls tomorrow, Duel Love would be no where on it. If someone asked for a list of 10, then I would ask for a few days to learn about other otome games and put Duel Love in the eighth, ninth or tenth position.

It isn’t that Duel Love is a bad game per say, just not as successful as the other dating games for girls. It relies too heavily on the mini-game gimmicks. At times I felt like I was playing through just to engage in brief discussions with Rei, and get to the mini-games. It was also quite short - I finished the game in around three hours. However I did often use the skip feature to speed through the dialogue I couldn’t read. It felt more like a Phoenix Wright games at times, rather than a title like Otometeki Koi Kakumei: Love Revo or Tokimeki Memorial: Girl’s Side.

Final Round: Epilogue

A delightful treat is that, after beating the game, the mini-games and pictures you’ve unlocked can be played and viewed at any time. While this isn’t reason enough to inspire me to go purchase the game, it did please my friend who bought it and was a handy little feature. After all, that’s why most people bought it anyways. In retrospect, I would definitely recommend Duel Love to people who are curious about otome games but afraid of the language barrier. It’s short, so people won’t get bored, simple, so you’ll get the guy you want, has great artwork, typical otome controls and a cute little mini-game gimmick.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Next week I vow that Important Importables will offer a full preview of Soma Bringer. Seriously. I absolutely mean it this time. If you don’t miss a single installment of Important Importables, or want to know right away when the next column is up, then sign up for the Gamertell Newsletter and RSS feed.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables previewed Bleach DS 2nd: Kokui Hirameku Requiem.

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