“I’ll be waiting for you.”
I stumbled upon the cabaret club by chance.
I was given limited time to play Like A Dragon Gaiden and told to explore thoroughly.
But I didn’t expect to stumble upon this.
I emerge into a city on a boat, complete with replica Osaka Castle.
I potter around for a bit, eager to find out what awaits me in each building.
Many of these return for Gaiden, including the cabaret club.
That’s where we meet.
For me, the sudden change from in-game graphics to live-action here is jarring to say the least.
I’m given little option but to flirt as Kaname swoons at me in a skimpy outfit.
“I love your nervous energy,” I select.
I follow up with: “You have a nice figure”.
It’s all presented in first-person view for ultimate immersion.
I buy myself a drink, which she pours and hands to me.
Naturally, I go for the most expensive option on the game’s menu: a magnum of champagne.
Hearts in the top corner flutter upwards and an interaction gauge fills.
She tells me she used to be a maid but now works as a hostess instead.
I love karaoke too, I say.
We have so much in common!
We bond over how singing allows you to convey emotions through song.
I wonder what her karaoke song of choice might be.
But our time together is cut short.
I failed to meet the requisite heart gauge level to see what would happen.
Didn’t I like her?
Were the earrings not good enough?
But this is a video game, and the switch to live-action here feels slightly disturbing and unecessary.
Indeed, using live-action footage only makes the dates themselves feel more disjointed and robotic.
I select options; a pre-recorded video of a woman plays back.
It’s a baffling switch for a company like Sega to have made.
The choice of women to include in the game was decided via a contest in Japan.
This demo at Gamescom just didn’t give me long enough to explore that.
