Tester's Corner: DC2 Ed. Vol. 1

We’ve got more from our testers again, and this time for Da Capo 2! Read on for word from Neko Len!

Hello, nyaaa~ Neko Len here, one of the testers for Da Capo II. First off, I would like to say that working on this game as a tester was great fun for me. While it did have its difficult moments, all together the experience was quite a positive one, an experience I would want to repeat in the future. It certainly helps that I am a fan of the Da Capo series, but this was not the only reason I enjoyed myself. Doing this kind of work makes me pay attention to detail far more than I normally would, which I find to be a good thing. One thing that helped me is that I tested a Visual Novel prior to this, so I went in with some practice in spotting varied errors, of both the text type and others. This, without a doubt, made life easier. Another thing that made life easier, and also rather impressed me was the very prompt response and fixes to major errors that were encountered. To say the least, I was surprised at how fast certain things got fixed.

Onto the game itself:
What makes this game stand out in my mind is the cast. Returning from the original is one of the more memorable lolis in my mind, from any VN, Sakura. She plays a rather pivotal, but background role in this go around; Jun’ichi also makes a small appearance as well. Another not-quite return appearance (but may as well be) is the man himself, Suginami. His character in II is one that I see as much better than in the original…not saying that he was not a badass in the original.

New cast wise, I think I enjoyed Anzu the best. Her sharp tongue and wit, along with her general attitude made me fall in love fast. The way she can tease and play with people is rather impressive, plus I love her looks and facial expressions. She also has a very kind and weak side, a contrast I love. Running up in a close…very close second, would be the elder sister, Otome. Very caring and responsible big sister, with a huge burden on her shoulders. While responsible…just don’t give her any alcohol…that has to be one of the lowest tolerances ive seen in my life. Third up on my list is Yume. This came as a surprise, since I started off  not liking her at all. Normally I love the imoutos, but she did not set off my imouto detector. Her route, promptly changed this. Next on my list is Nanaka, a lively, and very touchy-feely genki girl. The rest of the winnable girls break about even in my list, so I don’t really have too much to say about them. Just my personal preference – I know opinions will vary widely.

Gameplay wise, the mechanics, are pretty standard, but there are a few nice points. Map screen selections are accompanied by the girl you will meet there, so this makes locking into a route and getting the requisite points after much easier. As far as decision points, there are quite a lot of them compared to other games I have played, so be prepared to save and load a lot if you want to see every scene and get every CG. Another thing I would like to touch on is the font: very clear and readable, another testament to how far MG has come since the early days.

My absolute favorite part of the mechanics has to be the alarm set part at the end of most days. The radio show that plays is amusing as all hell, and I found myself listening to the whole thing each time it came up. If I could get those for an actual alarm clock or ring-tone, I would. Graphics wise, the game is fairly pretty and quite colorful. Watching the sakura petals fall along with the snow at the same time was a treat. Seeing sakura trees lit up on Christmas was pretty stunning in my opinion.

To close, I’d say even if you have never played the original, the game is easy to get into, and enough is explained for newcomers. If you like eroge in general, this is a pretty good choice; there’s a nice balance of comedy and drama.

I hope that you will enjoy the game as much as I did, and the timing is perfect given the Christmas theme.
This has been Neko Len, signing out, nyaa~

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13 Comments

  1. So looking forward to this game the more I hear about it.

    • Yeah, I hear that. Was thinking this was going to be a pass as I didn’t love DC, but the more I read about it… the more I want it.

      • I know what you mean. DC1 was kind of so-so for me but DC2 has me strangely excited. Hearing about the change to the map screen selections is really nice too because they made a guide almost mandatory for DC1 🙁

  2. My first post ever on this site 😉 So looking forward to this and loved your review.

  3. I have the same preferences based on the anime only for now. Glad to hear that Anzu is great not only in the looks department 🙂

  4. Nintendo Maniac 64

    Anzu sounds like she may be kuudere…

    Confirm/deny, discuss, etc.?

    • Mmm… Not really kuudere so much as just quiet. Though she’s a bit like Akane, she has a slight perverted streak, and may come off as deadpan.

      Of course, I’m basing this off of the lolanime. She didn’t have much meaningful screentime (like Nanaka), but the few moments that she had in the second season were good. Or insightful, to say the least. Still, I’d have to play her route to get a better idea of her character.

  5. And I quote, “To close, I’d say even if you have never played the original, the game is easy to get into, and enough is explained for newcomers.”

    Hmmm….my interest is getting piqued. Leaning on 90% want to buy.

  6. I highly enjoy these tester’s corners. They really whet my appetite for the games they cover. I can’t wait until the 24th…

  7. Hm… interesting.
    By reading these tester corner, it seems DC2 sounds more interesting than the original.

  8. Just finished Anzu’s route and all I can say is…screw Plus Communication (either one) bring over Spring Celebration, I must see Anzu’s After Story!!!

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