![]() Arguably, this new character is just a less successful knock-off of the original villain. Each character in the world of Hatoful Boyfriend is a caricature of a certain character archetype - the earnest childhood best friend, the high society snob with a heart of gold, the mysterious one who seems to be a womanizer but only has eyes for the main character… and the villain. While this new character was fun, I ultimately felt that he didn’t live up to his full potential. Look, if you aren’t prepared for it to be hokey and weird then why are you playing a pigeon dating sim? It also introduces a new character, a villain whose moustache-twirling scheming and obsession with revenge is exaggerated to the point of becoming ridiculous, but that’s the point. This episode takes its parody to a meta level with a loving evisceration of manga and otaku culture - the very same audience most likely to enjoy Hatoful Boyfriend. The second episode progresses to a modern Japanese spin on winter festivities: Comiket, an enormous self-published comic fair which takes place at the end of December. It reestablishes the tone of classic Hatoful Boyfriend very well. There are new additions like the goofy, cute, unidentified Christmas creatures alongside the familiar mix of birds, conspiracies, and tragic backstories. ![]() It begins innocently enough: the first episode covering a laughably obvious Christmas caper that escalates so far over the top you can’t help but chuckle along with it. The four main episodes must be played in order. It also has quite a bit of bonus material: a series of short scenes that unlock on completion of each episode, a gallery of screenshots and art from the game, a Q&A where the characters answer letters sent by fans, and a topical pigeon tour of Kyoto (I’m not kidding). The sequel is a smaller game which replaces the original’s branching story structure with four sequential episodes. Holiday Star carries on in that fine tradition. It’s a love letter to the most familiar tropes of the jrpg dating sim world that also mercilessly ridicules them. Perhaps the only thing more fucked up than the story itself is the fact that you buy into it. It convinces you to accept its ludicrous premise and then dissects itself, taking equal delight in displaying funny bone and bleeding viscera. But it knows it - Hatoful Boyfriend is at its best when it revels in its own weirdness. If you don’t have the dubious honor of playing the original game, Hatoful Boyfriend has the player assume the role of Hiyoko Tosaka, the only human girl attending a prestigious high school for birds. The resulting wild sleigh ride is a worthy successor to the original game’s unique blend of comedy, parody, and surprisingly heartful - er, heartfelt - drama. Pigeonation’s high school along with a few new additions. Released in English translation on Steam, PS4, and PS Vita in December 2015, Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star lets you spend the winter holiday season with the familiar birds of St. Absurdity abounds in this festive seasonal sequel to Hatoful Boyfriend, the notoriously bizarre pigeon dating sim (yes, you read that correctly).
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