Developer: MAGES
Publisher: PQube
Platform: PC, Switch, Android, iOS
Tested on: PC
B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA – Review
It has been a hot minute since we last reviewed a visual novel, with Neurodiver, and even longer since we took a look at a *traditional* visual novel, with Sunny Café. As such, we’re well overdue for another one. After all, what’s better than curling up and reading a bit right before bedtime? Our preferred platform to do this is the Switch, and lo and behold, B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA is available on the Nintendo eShop. We’re looking at the PC version though, which was actually released back in 2021…. in Japan. Western audiences had to wait until now to discover what B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA is about. And boy, have we got a doozy for you! Let’s dig in.
Story
Before we get into B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA’s story, there isn’t just a single elephant in the room to address here, but a whole herd of them. This reviewer definitely isn’t in the target audience for this visual novel -in fact, we’d never even heard of B-PROJECT beforehand. If you haven’t either, don’t worry, we’ll *both* be learning a ton of new things today. Note that this won’t be a mean-spirited or derisive review: we’re genuinely just stating that we’re outsiders as far as B-PROJECT goes, so if we make any factual errors about the franchise, we apologize. From what we gather, B-PROJECT is a virtual JPop idol group. Think of it as the boyband equivalent of Hatsune Miku. Now, B-PROJECT has actually been going on since 2015, and there has been a popular manga, a multi-season anime, several full albums, and even a stage play. And now, the boys are breaking into visual novel territory too.
Players take on the role of Tsubasa, the band’s A&R (Artist & Repertoire) agent, which means she’ll be taking the 14(!) band members under her wing. Now, it would be easy to assume that B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA turns into a dating sim. After all, you’re playing as a young woman who builds up relationships with these smoldering men. There are literally hundreds of so-called otome visual novels that follow this same premise. However, B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA is the exception, as things are kept strictly business. You’ll still inevitably be building up friendships with these strapping young lads, but if you’re looking for romance, you won’t find it here. Tsubasa is an original character that does not appear in the manga or anime. It makes sense that she doesn’t end up in a relationship with one of the boys, as B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA serves as a prequel/origin story, and something like that would probably break the overarching B-PROJECT canon.
Our overarching story is told through the eyes of Tsubasa, as she recalls her career from a rookie A&R until the established employee she is today. It revolves around four different smaller idol groups, namely Kitakore, MooNS, THRIVE, and KiLLER KiNG. When Tusbasa’s story begins, these are still in their infancy, and a huge chunk of time is spent on their early struggles to make it big in the JPop industry. Eventually, these four bands come together as one to form the supergroup B-PROJECT. We wouldn’t really consider that last one a spoiler, given how long B-PROJECT has existed. The focus is on Tsubasa motivating the individual idols and helping them overcome their struggles on the path to success. If you’re a fan of the franchise, then B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA is allowing you to indulge in sheer fan service, but the origin story approach also works for newcomers. That said, the characters are all as one-sided as you’d expect as they fit into specific archetypes. B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA knows its target audience, and if you happen to be in said audience, you’ll likely enjoy what’s on offer here, but if you’re not -and we weren’t- then there isn’t a whole lot of substance here to convince you otherwise.
Graphics
As far as visual novels go, B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA is on the more impressive side when it comes to graphics. The anime art is well done, but that is to be expected. However, the novel stands out simply because characters are animated during dialogue scenes instead of these scenes purely using static images. There are plenty of transition effects too, as well as unusual angles and dialogue frames. Of course, B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA can’t outright be compared to an actual game, so while there were no performance hiccups that we ran into, we didn’t expect any in the first place.
Sound
Given B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA’s subject matter, it’s only logical that a lot of effort was put into the soundtrack. There are plenty of JPop tracks here, and you can listen to these separately from the story. We assume that these are pre-existing songs drawn from B-PROJECT’s back catalog rather than original compositions. There is also a significant amount of Japanese voice acting in the main story, although this is notably absent from the side stories. Once again, we’re assuming the VAs are the same ones as those from the anime, although Tsubasa is a new addition to the B-PROJECT canon, and so is her voice actress.
Gameplay
Being a classic visual novel, there is of course not a whole lot to say about B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA’s gameplay. It boasts all the expected functionality, including a CG gallery. With only two endings, you’d expect B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA’s replay value to be limited, but obtaining every CG requires several playthroughs and typically involves replying to text messages from the boys to unlock specific scenes. As if that wasn’t enough, there are also several dozen side stories available to spend more time with individual characters. While a single readthrough of B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA will run you roughly 18-20 hours based on your reading speed, completionists will still find plenty to chew on after the credits roll.
Conclusion
As a visual novel, B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA plays things safe, delivering exactly what you’d expect. Of course, the intent here is to please existing B-PROJECT fans first and foremost, and B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA does this exceedingly well. While we’re pretty sure that this will remain our first and only voluntary interaction with the franchise, that has more to do with personal interest. For what it wants to be, this is a surprisingly comprehensive and polished release and not just a quick cash grab.
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