Dōkyūsei (video game)

Template:Short description Template:For Template:Expand French Template:Infobox animanga/Header Template:Infobox animanga/Game Template:Infobox animanga/Video Template:Infobox animanga/Video Template:Infobox animanga/Game Template:Infobox animanga/Video Template:Infobox animanga/Footer Template:Nihongo is an erotic dating sim visual novel. Originally released in 1992 by ELF Corporation for the PC-98, it became a foundational title in the dating sim genre and spawned a video game series.

A heavily altered 1999 Windows port was the basis of a 2021 remake, which received English and Chinese releases in 2022. A Game Boy Color mahjong game with Dōkyūsei characters, Jankyusei (雀級生), was released in 2001.

Gameplay

Dōkyūsei revolves around wandering through different locations in a town, conversing with whatever character the player happens to meet. To finish the storyline of a particular girl, the main challenge is to learn the times of day when the girl will be in a location.

Ports and remake

Dōkyūsei was ported to FM Towns and Sharp X68000 in 1993, PC Engine and MS-DOS in 1995, and Sega Saturn in 1996. A heavily altered Windows version was released in 1999. A Windows version using the updated art but with the original script was released in 2008.

Logo of the English translation of the 2021 remake.

A remake (based on the 1999 Windows version) was released in 2021 in Japan and in 2022 in English and Chinese, as Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Engdate">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="steamdate">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The international version of the remake was developed by the company Shiravune, a subsidiary of DMM Games.<ref name="Anime News Network">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Shiravune Twitter Account">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Both an all-ages and adult version was released, with the adult version containing erotic scenes and racier dialogue.<ref name="Rice Digital">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The remake was ported to PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in Japan in 2024.

OVA

There was an OVA series made from Dōkyūsei in 1994–1995, which was originally a 45-minute one-shot, but the original release was expanded into two half-hour episodes, with two more episodes added, for a total four. The first two episodes were released as End of Summer, and episodes three and four were released as End of Summer 2 in the North American market by SoftCel Pictures, an imprint of ADV Films. A two-episode sequel, titled Dōkyūsei Climax Files, was released in 1995–1996.

End of Summer is about a boy who seeks after a redheaded girl named Mai and along the way runs into difficulties (and trysts) with several other girls, namely, Kurumi, Miho, Misa, and Satomi. It was renowned for its romantic attributes<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and quality of animation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The depth of character development has been reviewed as being above average, although the format forced on it by OVA requires some compromises with realism.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

An OVA based on the remake, Dōkyūsei Remake The Animation, was released in 2022 and 2024.

Reception and legacy

Dōkyūsei helped popularise the modern dating sim genre.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Jun Maeda, co-founder of visual novel studio Key, credits Dōkyūsei as a pioneer in the nakige ("crying game") genre and as an influence on Key's own such games.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The game started a series, which includes Dōkyūsei 2, Kakyūsei and Kakyūsei 2.

The international version was well received by critics, with Ivanir Ignacchitti of GameBlast commenting on the historical value of the title<ref name="GameBlast">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Thomas Knight of NookGaming noting that the remake does well at fixing most of the issues that would make the game seem dated.<ref name="NookGaming">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

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