is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese-only PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 otome game

Otome game

An is a video game that is targeted towards a female market, where one of the main goals, besides the plot goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female player character and one of several male characters. This genre is most established in Japan. The label includes both visual...

 (also referred to as GxB games) released on June 10, 2004. A notable feature of the game is the integration of real J-pop

J-pop

, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...

 songs into the gameplay, and the ability to watch and listen to the songs again once you have mastered them in-game, as well as the fact that the main character has a voice (many otome game

Otome game

An is a video game that is targeted towards a female market, where one of the main goals, besides the plot goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female player character and one of several male characters. This genre is most established in Japan. The label includes both visual...

s' main characters are not voice acted). The publisher classifies it as a 恋愛アドベンチャー, or 'love adventure' game.

Gameplay

There are two main elements to the gameplay of Houkago no Love Beat. The narrative element involves the main character having conversations with other characters, making choices that affect the storyline. The 'live part' is a minigame where the player uses the PS2 controller to affect the performance of the band during various songs. If the player does a good job, the song is performed well, and if the player misses a lot of cues, the band performs badly. This in turn affects how well the band is received, whether they get a contract, etc.

Plot

The main character is a high school girl trained in classical piano who has just transferred to a new high school, Aobadai Gakuen. On her first day, she gets lost and meets 4 boys there who are secretly practising as a band. She eventually becomes the songwriter for the band, using her classical background to create fresh melodies for the band to build on.

There's a rival band, Kamui, that also plays a couple songs during the game and provides some plot devices regarding a big band contest with a recording contract as the prize.

Characters

• Main character: High school girl, her default name is Ruka Hibiki but it can be changed. Voice actor: Masano Hosono

• Kaito Momose: The band's singer. Voice actor: Akira Ishida
  Akira Ishida
  Akira Ishida is a prolific male seiyū born in Nisshin, Aichi, Japan.He was a part of Mausu Promotion from 1988 until March 2009...
  
  

• Itsuki Tsukuwano: The band's bassist. Voice actor: Daisuke Ono
  Daisuke Ono
  is a Japanese voice actor who works for Mausu Promotion. He was born in Kōchi Prefecture. He won the 4th Seiyū Awards for best voice actor for his role as Sebastian Michaelis in Kuroshitsuji.-Anime:2002*Full Metal Panic!...
  
  

• Keisuke Hijirinaka: The band's guitarist. Voice actor: Tomohiro Tsuboi
  Tomohiro Tsuboi
  is a male Japanese voice actor. He is part of 81 Produce, previously Mausu Promotion.-TV animation:*Buso Renkin *D.Grayman *Fortune Arterial *Gakuen Heaven...
  
  

• Kurusu Tenjou: The band's drummer. Voice actor: Takahiro Kawanago

• Kaoru Himuro: Kamui's vocalist. Voice actor: Kenno Kase

• Akira Himuro: Kamui's guitarist. Voice actor: Kazumi Tsuruda