Surely, I’m not a reviewer (heck, I can’t write decent English even after 15+ years of D&D/GURPS/Stormbringer/etc etc. daily readings!!), but, after the recent release of the official fanbook (see http://www.blackrainbow.jp/blackrainbon.html ), which includes a little (but exhilarating/disquieting, in Black Rainbow’s style) expansion to the original game, I decided to write something for spreading the merits of an Insult ADV gifted with unusual good taste (for his genre, at least). Saimin Gakuen ISN’T a masterpiece, but successfully recycles old clichÈs into a flowing and enjoyable form: I don’t regret the 82 Dollars spent on it .
Short introduction:
The main character, Shinta Murakoshi, a repulsive and pathetic nerd, despised by his own parents, goes daily to school under a cloud of scorn (at best!) from the majority of his (female) classmates and teachers, and he lives a solitary life, chatting on Internet. All of this changes suddenly when Mr. K, a mysterious Net surfer and Murakoshi’s only friend, sends an incredible gift to Shinta: an ultra-powerful gizmo of instant hypnosis!! Now the revenge can begin…
Storyline:
This is the best part of the game, no discussions about it (I personally know of at least two japanese novels based on Saimin Gakuen!)! Unlike certain other games (Virgin Roster, for example), Saimin Gakuen’s plot isn’t a simple and repetitive series of actions (“Pick girl, hypnotize her, humiliate her. Repeat.”). The above-mentionated actions are very frequent, it’s true, but the game gives numerous “decision points” to the player. Murakoshi can seek revenge against the most obnoxious (to him) girls, or he can try to find love (forced or not) and/or even redemption, or a combination of these. However, a strong vein of black humor pervades the entire game, making less dramatic various hentai/deviant scenes, but, at the same time, cutting all positive/Good/non-immoral choices down to (hentai) size. The end result is an amusing (nearly comic) AND disquieting storyline, original and very enjoyable, but where no one, not even Murakoshi (courtesy of Mr. K …) is immune from a grisly bad end (in moral sense, usually…).
Graphics:
The game isn’t animated, but the quality of the (many!) CG’s is very good, with the (relatively) realistic trait of Black Rainbow games. Besides, all the girls (4 protagonists, 1 co-protagonist and 5 bonuses -see below-) are well characterized, not simply the same face with different hair and clothing.
Sounds:
Even here, Saimin Gakuen isn’t a masterpiece, but the music tracks and the MALE (yes, this game has 2+ speaking male co-protagonists) and female voices are excellent, exceptional at times, and give a nice ambience.
Bonus:
In addition to the 12 official endings (10 normal and 2 lesser, besides, of course, the usual bonuses - galleries, preparatory drawings, etc.-), the game boasts 7 secret scenarios (basically, episodes with no “decision points”). To activate 5 of these scenarios, you must insert 5 numeric passwords in the P/ECE section, freely available in the Black Rainbow site or in the fanbook (yes, Saimin Gakuen is P/ECE-enabled too, for those lucky few… But the passwords work for everyone, fortunately.).
Final note:
I’m forgetting something? What? Ahh, sex… Don’t despair, this game is full of sex (no Lolita characters, however). Insult ADV means that you can discharge your repressed/primordial/sadistic urges on innocent girls, and sex is at the top of the list. But, first and foremost, Saimin Gakuen is great for the context of the story, for its absurd/immoral/inventive/funny situations, for the possibility of experimentation with the diseased mind of Shinta Murakoshi. Therefore, knowledge of japanese tongue is essential to fully appreciate this game. If you seek CG’s and musics only, try other games; otherwise, I strongly recommend Saimin Gakuen!
Demo Movie (15.9 MB’s):
http://www.blackrainbow.jp/demo/gak_demo.exe
Demo Game (26.5 MB’s):
http://www.blackrainbow.jp/demo/SGtryout.exe