Gamertell

Title: Princess Maker 5 Portable
Price: $48.90
System(s): PSP
Release Date: 9/23/08
Publisher (Developer): CyberFront (CyberFront)
ESRB Rating: N/A, Cero C (15+)
Pros: New take on the series, micro-manage every hour of the daughter’s day, get to choose to be a father or mother and new classes, jobs and endings.
Cons: Not import friendly, over-complicated and longtime fans may be disappointed by the change in atmosphere/setting.
Overall Score: 7/10

The Princess Maker series may not have found a way overseas, but it is certainly thriving in Japan. One of the most recent releases was Princess Maker 5 Portable, a PSP port of the latest entry in the series. Princess Maker 5 Portable is a decidedly different look at child raising, and while it is an enjoyable simulation, some fans of the series may be turned off by the new direction. If you were a huge fan of Princess Maker 2 and 4, then you may want to steer clear of Princess Maker 5 Portable.

Let me say right now that if you have no knowledge of Japanese and don’t recognize hirigana, katakana and kanji, you should turn back and buy Princess Maker 4 Portable. Princess Maker 5 Portable is definitely not import-friendly, and those with little knowledge of the series or language will quickly find themselves floundering in this game. Guessing your way through isn’t an option.

Princess in a strange land.

Princess Maker 5 Portable begins in a war-torn fantasy land. There are candidates to become princess, but they’re all being slaughtered. Only one girl escapes, thanks to the help of Cube. She and her guardian escape to the real world Japan, so she can hopefully be raised in peace and return to her home once she is old enough and able.

Your task is to raise the little girl as her mother or father. You send her to a normal school, set up her schedule, help her decide who to befriend and how to spend her time and hopefully prepare her for the daunting fate before her. Depending on how you do, she can end up becoming a hero in her own world, or perhaps find a new life for her in ours.

Get ready to micromanage every moment.

There are drastic changes in Princess Maker 5 Portable, which longtime fans of the series may appreciate as they really help add variety to the gameplay. For the first time, players can choose to be the girl’s mother rather than being forced to be a father. The entire story also takes place in the real world, so the girl attends school in Japan, goes on vacations around the world, takes normal part-time jobs and is able to pursue modern activities.

You also are able to completely schedule your daughter’s days. Each time period of the day can be divided up and managed, so instead of being given a calendar for the month and picking what she’ll do for three weeks, you can assign a task to every day.

There’s a downside to all this though. Princess Maker 5 Portable can be overwhelming to those with no knowledge or only passable Japanese. Even those who are fluent may find themselves taken aback by all of the options suddenly available. Part of the joy of the previous Princess Maker titles were their simplicity and familiarity. With those gone, it may take veterans some time to get adjusted.

Princess Maker 5 Portable does offer a refreshing change, and if you can read Japanese, it is worth sticking it out. The wide variety of classes, characters and options available to the princess (like playing with dog-Cube, searching the internet, reading manga, going on adventures and such) are worth experiencing.

Princess Maker 5 Portable isn’t for everyone.

Princess Maker 5 Portable is a hit or miss kind of game. You’ll either love the new direction the child-raising simulation takes in this entry, or hate it and go back to playing Princess Maker 4. It is a daring and intriguing new look at the series, and if you’re a longtime fan worth playing. If you’re only a fan of one of the other Princess Maker games, or don’t read Japanese, then you’ll want to pass on this PSP port. Personally, I prefer the nostalgia factor, art style and gameplay of Princess Maker 4 Portable.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Next week Important Importables will run on Halloween (that’s right!) and will talk about some creepy Japan-exclusive horror games. 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 reviewed Hoshizora no Comic Garden.Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop]