Before I even start this review, okay. I know what you're thinking. I'm incredibly and painfully immature for still geeking out over princess games at the age of 24. Well, on the one hand, you're right, but just trust me on this one: this one's worth it.First of all, "Princess Debut" was put out by Natsume. You know... the same people who brought you the smash hit that everybody and their mother loves, the "Harvest Moon" series. This immediately raises the bar of expectations from this game, and it does not disappoint!
The very first thing that struck me about this game was the animation style. It's very heavily anime and sickeningly cute, but for most of us females who play these titles, cuteness is a virtue. ;) Anyway, it immediately reminded me of the old DOS-based "Princess Maker" game. As it turns out, the animation style is not the only thing about this game that's like "Princess Maker". The way that the game itself is played is very, VERY similar as well. You play the role of a girl who fantasizes about princess life with her schoolmates, only to suddenly find herself thrust into an alternate universe, where there's doubles of not only herself, but all the boys at school that she knows, going under very similar aliases. The real princess has swapped places with her for a month, as there is a huge dance competition coming up, and she doesn't know how to dance, and wants your character to take her place. So you do, and this is where your adventure begins. You meet all the different princes and pick any one of them as your dance partner. They all have distinct personalities and storylines that come along with them (although, the main storyline essentially stays the same, no matter who you pick). With whomever you choose, you must attend daily dance classes to improve your technique, stamina, and learn new dances. As you go along, more and more side-storylines unfold, as do unlockables. Every relationship with each character is very in-depth, varying depending upon your previous interactions with them. This is another major bonus in my book.
The 3D graphics used during the dancing scenes leave a lot to be desired, as do the equipment scenes whenever you change outfits (I always have to skip those, as they manage to trigger vertigo with me), but the 2D graphics are exquisite. I was struck by the level of detail used in each and every scene - seriously, NOTHING is left out. There's always something new to notice each time you play it. It's absolutely stunning in comparison to most DS games. The music, while very much in oldschool MIDI format, somehow manages to work for this game. Maybe it's because it also adds to the throwback feel of this being a new-generation "Princess Maker" game, I don't know. But it doesn't cheapen the feel of the game like most games do when they use MIDI music nowadays. Natsume definitely knew what they were doing! (But then, Natsume are pretty much masters of their craft. ;))
As for the gameplay of the dancing scenes, the technique quite reminds me of playing "Elite Beat Agents". It's a little tricky when you're first starting out, because you never know quite what moves are coming up and where you ought to be, and what you need to prepare to do. But, much like with "Tetris", you quickly discover the small box off to the side with the next few upcoming moves, and this helps immensely in most cases. It's hard to keep up both reading those and performing the moves for the faster dances, but that's part of the fun! It'd be pretty boring if they were all slow, monotonous dances.
Another thing that I liked is that all the locations on the map are named after different dances. They include:
- Viennese Waltz Lake
- Tango Garden
- Samba Square
- Jive Park
- Rumba Beach
- Cha-Cha-Cha Arena
- Waltz Castle
- Foxtrot Forest
I only have about 2 complaints with this game. Well, maybe 3, but the third hardly counts. First, I wish you could customize your character (although, truth be told, she looks about how I would have made her anyway. I have a type.). Second, try as I might, I can't seem to figure out how to unlock everything, despite having re-played the game several times through, choosing different dance partners each time. And third....I wish the game were longer! I won't give a spoiler and say how the game ends, but I'll just say that I wish it continued on further from where it stops, or that there were a sequel. (Who knows, perhaps they'll make one if this game sells enough copies!)
Overall though, it's a pretty fantastic game. I'm going to give this game a 9.5 tiaras out of 10. Not quite totally perfect, but pretty darn close!
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