Quintuple reasons for a Quintessential romance
Spike Chunsoft have finally graced anime fans with two visual novels based on what’s probably the most well known Romantic Comedy anime of recent times. For those unfamiliar, financially troubled but intelligent student Futaro Uesugi takes on a part-time tutoring job, only to discover he is to teach the infamous Nakano sisters, Quintuplets consisting of eldest Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba and youngest Itsuki. The idea is that Futaro ends up marrying one of the sisters, but as observers we don’t know which.
These games are based on the original manga, which also spawned two anime seasons and a movie, with more to come.
The first title, Memories of a Quintessential Summer, takes place after the end of the 2nd anime season. Futaro and his sister Raiha are invited to holiday with the Nakano Sisters – Destination: The Nakano Family Private Island!
Due to certain circumstances, a short trip turns into an island survival experience. Gameplay involves managing the sisters’ time, deciding if they should search the island for ingredients, rest or keep up with their studies. Study subjects are given a numerical score out of 100 – all of which must be over 70 before a certain date – to gain access to the personalised endings for each sister.
The second game, Five Memories Spent with You, takes place during a graduation trip with the Nakano family, before going separate ways to pursue their respective careers. This is a more traditional visual novel where the player chooses which sister to pursue romantically, potentially deviating from the canon choice in a “what if” kind of scenario. In terms of when this game is set, that would be after the movie, which acts as a sequel to the 2nd season.
As Futaro, your aim is to make as many memories as possible on the graduation trip, before going off to a Tokyo University and his chosen Nakano sister begins the next chapter of their life.
These are what I’d call typical visual novel experiences, plenty of event graphics and scenes but not the most striking in the graphics department. Don’t get me wrong, the art is beautiful, however the same 4 or 5 static images do lessen the experience slightly.
Whilst the sound design really isn’t much to write home about, it’s fitting enough for the type of game this is. I would say it’s on-par with other MAGES. developed romance visual novels.
Voice roles are reprised by the anime voice actors, with them collectively singing the opening song for each game under the “Nakano Family Quintuplets” group name.
Verdict
These Quintessential Quintuplets provide a duology of light hearted romantic-comedy adventures. Neither game is exactly ideal as a jumping in point for the series, but are enjoyable as supplemental content for fans of the anime and visual novels. The top quality art, anime level voice acting and the many playable routes mean players will have many hours of entertainment to enjoy.
Where to Buy
The Quintessential Quintuplets – Double Pack
- Nintendo eShop
The Quintessential Quintuplets – Memories of a Quintessential Summer
- Nintendo eShop
The Quintessential Quintuplets – Five Memories Spent With You
- Nintendo eShop
#AffiliateLinks – Prices correct at time of publishing.
Credits
Written by Mark McAllister
Edited by Mark McAllister and Jen Griffiths
Graphic Template by Paul L. Russell
A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for this review.