Today we have some insights from one of our lovely beta testers, Kitty-tama, into our latest release: ClockUp’s DEAD DAYS! Enjoy!
Hi everyone, it’s Kitty-tama! It’s always a real joy getting to work on ClockUp games, and this one is no exception. I had the honor of beta testing DEAD DAYS, and I felt compelled to share my thoughts. I’m sure lots of you are looking forward to it. It’s an excellent game, of course, but I can’t just leave it at that! There’s so much to say!
DEAD DAYS has an intriguing premise out the gate: strangers awaken alongside each other in an unknown location, except there is a twist here. By rights, they should be dead. Yet here they are in this unknown location. The main thing connecting them, beyond their confusion, is a mysterious figure who grants them an extension on their lives, so to say. There’s a catch–they must defeat the spectres, creatures only those who have been resurrected can see and interact with. How will they come to terms with this spectre hunting life combined with keeping up appearances? Doubly so with how horny everyone becomes after their missions!
Sounds like a pretty basic premise, right? While much of the beginnings of the VN are centered on this ragtag group consisting of our cocky, arrogant protagonist Teru Kuresaka, fashionista and gyaru Aira Mitsumine, housewife Minami Mera, and the mysterious stranger known as Tengan Soukichi and how they go about defeating the various spectres they come across as part of their “work”, that’s only part of the story. What’s so fascinating about DEAD DAYS is that, yes, Teru is the primary protagonist, but we get to see from other perspectives outside of him. It makes the narrative that much richer, and if you’re a fan of seeing what heroines are thinking or feeling (especially during H-scenes), you’ll have a fun time with some scenes contained within DEAD DAYS.
It’s hard to say who my top favorite character is, as everyone is flawed in fascinating ways and nobody is portrayed to be “perfect”. But I have to say, of all the characters, I had the most fun watching Kiruru and her antics. Tokio Aoi gives a stunning, fantastic, straight-up unhinged performance with Kiruru, and her trademark cackle will stick in my brain for quite some time. She’s nuts, but that’s what makes her so fun! While every character has something up with them, Kiruru is such a standout. I hope you like her as much as I did! It’s funny because she isn’t the typical kind of character I’d be into–I’m usually more inclined to like Minami-type heroines who are warm and nurturing. And don’t get me wrong, Minami is adorable. Sexy, too! But Kiruru is that special level of crazy to where you just can’t help but find her endearing. Our main protag, Teru is arrogant and manipulative, but there is more to him than that–by the end of the VN, I did soften up to him and felt for him more than I’d expected to out the gate.
When it comes to VN devs I highly respect, ClockUp is up on that list, hands down. One thing I really admire about their darker games in particular is how they blend eroticism and storytelling–the H-scenes aren’t solely there to be fap fuel (although that’s not to say they aren’t there for that purpose, at least in part). The H-scenes can’t merely be stripped away from DEAD DAYS, or any of their darker games for that matter, without impacting the main overarching storyline. And the storyline here is excellent. But the H-scenes are equally handled with care. Yes, they go about as off the walls as you’d expect from a darker ClockUp title in particular, but one thing I really love about DEAD DAYS is how we can directly see what heroines are thinking or feeling during their perspective H-scenes that come up.
ClockUp knows how to write women in fucked up situations from a very respectful lens, so to speak–they have their motives for doing what they do, for feeling how they do, and they aren’t just two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. This makes their H-scenes stand out all the more, doubly so because it goes far beyond mere titillation. We can actually see into their psyches during such moments. This isn’t to undersell the character development that occurs from Teru’s POV, though–he experiences his own conflicting feelings and thoughts throughout the H-scenes, and it makes them all the more entertaining to read.
For any guro fans, don’t fret, you’ll get your fill too! It’s not quite Maggot Baits levels, but it’s absolutely there, and it’s my hope you’ll enjoy such scenes. Also, there’s no scat to be seen here, so if you’re worried about that, don’t be. If you were looking forward to that, well, that might be one disappointing aspect.
I would say, of all the dark ClockUp games, DEAD DAYS is probably the tamest in terms of harder content (of the ones in English). There is some sensitive subject matter I’d be remiss not to give a heads-up for, including Juria’s story arc which toys with junior idols and sleeping to the top–not everyone will be comfortable with this. But it plays a very important part in how she sees the world around her and perceives the people around her, too. She’s one of the only other characters who gets Teru beyond surface level, next to his childhood friend Mao. There’s also some body horror elements in the spectres, as well as gore (which, as always, can be filtered off in the settings menu per your comfort level). But of the darker ClockUp games, DEAD DAYS is what I personally consider the tamest among the ones that have been licensed so far. If you’ve been curious about ClockUp’s offerings but have been too scared to try euphoria or Maggot Baits, this might be a potentially good starter VN from their darker library.
I’m always thrilled when the time comes to beta test a ClockUp title, and I’m doubly happy I got to work on such an eagerly anticipated title as DEAD DAYS! I love ClockUp’s lighter titles, too, but there’s just a special charm to their dark games that have a little extra oomph, a little extra depth that makes playing them feel all the more worth it. It’s my hope you’ll enjoy playing DEAD DAYS when it releases!