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DOUBLE CAST —by Ivevei Upatkoon
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Everyone possesses many different faces. For living... For working... And for falling in love... I wonder how many faces I have? And which one is the real me? So begins the introduction to DOUBLE CAST. A glance at the cover might lead one to believe this to be just another one of those love simulation games, but actually playing it reveals it to be of quite a different nature. The first in a series of PSX games called YaruDras (the latest one features character designs by Shirow Masamune), its high production values and suspenseful plot elevate it above the rest of the flock. (YaruDra means "jibun de yaru dra-ma" or "do it yourself drama".) There will most likely never be an English-language version of DOUBLE CAST, but anyone looking for an excellent anime-style simulation game should not pass this up. One of the main things to set this game apart is the game system itself.
Unlike staples such as TOKIMEKI MEMORIAL, DOUBLE CAST concentrates on
delivering the experience of playing an anime. What this translates to is
cut scene after cut scene, the story sweeping you along with no pause.
Those familiar with SAKURA TAISEN will understand the idea, taken to new
levels here. The way the player influences the progression of the game is
by making choices whenever the opportunity presents itself. Usually these
take the form of answers within a conversation, but there are also times
when you have to decide your immediate actions. In any case, it is
extremely simple and intuitive -just highlight your choice and press the
button. To tell you the truth, I have always hated reading game manuals,
especially when they are not in English, so being able to jump straight
into the game was a big plus.Of course, all this would be boring if not for the quality animation and
excellent storyline. Character designs are by Gotoh Keiji of NADESICO and
BAKURESTU HUNTER fame, and the production studio is none other than the
acclaimed Production I.G. The game begins with you, the main character,
waking up at a fountain to the face of a pretty girl. You are a high school
boy, and this girl has helped you out of the garbage where you had passed
out in a drunken stupor. (Talk about first impressions!) As it turns out,
she cannot remember anything about herself except for her name, Akasaka
Mitsuki. Since she has no place to stay, you offer your own, and so begins
your unusual relationship with this spirited girl. When your film club
finds itself in need of a female lead, Mitsuki joins in, and from there the
main story begins to unfold.The object of DOUBLE CAST is not to score with Mitsuki, as one might think.
The game bills itself as "suspense drama," and the opening flashes scenes
of explosions and knife-wielding assailants to the hard beat of the theme
song "Door." As shooting of the film progresses, mysterious incidents occur
one after another, all centering around Mitsuki. Who is this girl, and what
secret does her forgotten past conceal?The game is divided into "points," or chapters, and depending on the
answers you choose you will unlock sequences within the point, or skip one
altogether if you have been clumsy. To solve the mystery and get one of the
four good endings, as opposed to the 17 bad ones, you will have to be nice
to not only Mitsuki, but several of the other major characters as well. It
is actually not that hard, but towards the end your answers begin to take
greater weight as you move closer to solving the mystery, and one wrong
choice of actions could literally result in death. I was rather disgruntled
after being bludgeoned to a bloody pulp, but you don't have to worry about
frustrating trial and error. After getting two bad endings without getting
a good or normal one, the game leads you to a good ending the next time
over by highlighting the best choices to make.It takes less than a couple hours to go through the game once, and from
there you can skip all the dialogue and animation to get to the choices, so
replaying it is not a tedious matter. While the game seems short, it is
actually quite deep; depending on your choices subtle, and not so subtle,
changes occur within the sequences, leading you to one of the many endings.
As your completion rate rises, measured by the answers you have selected,
new choices become available with each play, and you will eventually unlock
all the hidden extras in the game. Trust me, though, you will have to
really love this game to go that far! Still, even for someone like me who
doesn't particularly care for the character designs, the plot holds enough
intrigue to last several playthroughs.The sound is crisp and clear, an absolute necessity for a game that is all
voice (except for the main character). Veterans such as Hiramatsu Akiko,
Mizutani Yuuko, and Shiratori Yuri are a perfect complement to the constant
animation. The music is similarly good, alternating between bright and
menacing. Due to hardware constraints, the animation sometimes appears
jerky, but the mpeg breakup is minimal and the whole game feels clean and
bright even during night scenes.In a nutshell, DOUBLE CAST has most anything you would be looking for in an
anime - humor, action, nosebleeds... yes, even a bath scene! If the
characters and designs are your cup of tea, you won't be able to put this
one down.This goes without saying, but to enjoy DOUBLE CAST completely, a decent
grasp of Japanese is required. However, in the USA this game seems to be
making the rounds among even anime fans who know little Japanese. I suppose
it is akin to watching unsubbed anime, so if you don't mind not being able
to follow the dialogue, it could still be a lot of
 Rating: *** 1/2 out of 4 |
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