Shuffle!
シャッフル!
シャッフル!
Developer : Navel
English Publisher : MangaGamer
Release Date : 15 August 2009 (En)
Length : Long (30 - 50 hours)
Genre : Visual Novel, Eroge
Rating : Ranked #23 (vndb.org)
Scored 81.0 (KirikoPoll)
.: Story
Ten years ago, the door connecting the Human World, the Devil World, and the God World opened. As a result, Gods and Devils now reside among humans in everyday life. Surprisingly, they all seem to accept and get along with each other. It’s much different from what you’d expect, and it’s highly unrealistic, but after some getting used to, I came to accept it.
You play as Rin, the main character and male lead of the game. Rin has been living with his childhood friend Kaede for many years. Both of Rin’s parents and Kaede’s mother died in a fatal accident when they were young, and they have been living toegther with Kaede’s dad ever since. One day while walking home, Rin runs into two girls who somehow know his name. He seems to vaguely remember them from somewhere, but can’t quite put his finger on it.
The next day he finds out that the two girls are new transfer students in his class. On top of that, the girls’ fathers are the King of Gods and the King of Devils, which essentially makes them the princesses of the God and Devil worlds. They also claim that they met Rin eight years ago and have loved him ever since. Their fathers have decided that one of the girls will marry Rin, and that Rin has to choose which one: either Lisianthus (called “Sia” for short), the princess of the God World, or Nerine, the princess of the Devil World.
.: Screen Shoots
.:CGs
.: Review
The art is where Shuffle! really shines. The art is incredible and very detailed, and this type of character drawing may very well be the best anime art. The artist, Nishimata Aoi, posts plenty of her artwork on her blog, so check it out. (Score: 10/10)
Gameplay
Gameplay is just like that of any usual visual novel. There’s plenty of reading to do, just as if you were reading an actual novel. The main difference, of course, is that you can control how the story unfolds by making various choices, which will determine your fate. In the typical dating sim fashion, acting favorably towards one girl will improve your chances of her becoming your girlfriend later on in the game.
One thing that disappointed was a lack of keyboard functions. While most people play visual novels with their mouse, some actually prefer to map various keyboard functions to a PS2 controller and play with that.
The game was translated by MangaGamer.com, a company that specializes in English-translated bishoujo games. Truly, there are plenty errors in grammar and words being missing from sentences. Clearly, no one proofread this, and that’s really upsetting. Despite this, it’s still possible to understand what’s going on. The errors aren’t all that serious, but the fact that they even exist in a “professional” is what we call "Lack of Right Sense" (Score: 7/10)
Story
Overall the story is your typical cliché harem with mild supernatural elements added. While the story wasn't deep it still had the elements to keep you reading. It’s mostly nothing new, but it’s still lighthearted, fun, and enjoyable. There are plenty of comedic scenes, and there’s more than enough fan-service to keep one entertained. A light read is what this game excels at. (Score: 7/10)
Music
As expected from a visual novel, the voice acting is superb. Its' mixture of upbeat techno, melodramatic instrumentals, and various other tunes added to the overall enjoyment. This game will make you stop and listen. (Score: 9/10)
Overall
All in all, a decent read that is at its best when not taken to heart. If you go in expecting too much, you will be disappointed, but if you are one of those that likes relaxing stories with interesting characters, by all means, try out Shuffle!
Overall Score: 8/10
.: Download
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ITSFBMQU
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PRK554V2
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BCQ37T1Z
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=U2SRCMXJ
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XKF2NZ6J
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9I3B0W31
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=367DBF4E
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0XT563XC
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PDH68RGW
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GWBUWV6B
.: Sia, I told you not to hit me with the chair :.
