Rui wa Tomo o Yobu
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese adult
visual novel
developed by Akatsuki Works and first released for the PC
as a DVD
on June 26, 2008 as a limited edition; the regular edition followed on July 31, 2008. The game is described by the development team as a . The gameplay
in Rui wa Tomo o Yobu follows a plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters. The title Rui wa Tomo o Yobu is also a Japanese proverb
equivalent to the English proverb "birds of a feather flock together" when written with the kanji
and kana
.
requires little interaction from the player as most of the duration of the game is spent simply reading the text that appears on the screen which represents either dialogue
between the various characters or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. Every so often, the player will come to a point where he or she is given the chance to choose from multiple options. The time between these points is variable and can occur anywhere from a minute to much longer. Gameplay pauses at these points and depending on which choice the player makes, the plot will progress in a specific direction. There are five main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. To view all five plot lines, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and make different decisions to progress the plot in an alternate direction. One of the goals of the gameplay is for the player to enable the viewing of hentai scenes
depicting the protagonist, Tomo, and one of the five heroines having sexual intercourse
.
Tomo Wakutsu who was brought up by his mother as a girl due to a small mark he has on his body. After his mother's death, he discovers via her will
that she emphases Tomo continue to live as a female, and following this, Tomo starts to go through more troubles in his life. Tomo soon discovers that he is linked with five girls who are around his age as a second year high school student. These girls happen to have the same mark he has, and also have been going through hardships in their lives. Tomo and these five girls decide to form a pact to stay together and support each other to solve each of their problems and to bring peace to their lives. Though Tomo initially hides the fact that he is male from the others, the five girls eventually discover his secret.
.
became available for download at the visual novel's official website. In the demo, the player is introduced to the main characters in the game that is typical of the gameplay
found in a visual novel
which includes times during gameplay where the player is given several choices to make in order to further the plot in a specific direction. The full game was first released on June 26, 2008 as a limited edition playable as a DVD
on a Microsoft Windows
PC
; the regular edition followed on July 31, 2008. The limited edition contained an art collection from the game which includes storyboards and rough illustrations.
by Marika of the Japanese musical group Angel Note. The ending theme, , is sung and written by Riryka, and composed by Shunsuke Shiina, both of whom are also from Angel Note. A vocal CD maxi single
containing both theme songs was released as a promotional gift to those who pre-ordered the limited edition version of the visual novel, and was released with that version on June 26, 2008.
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 adult
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
developed by Akatsuki Works and first released for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
as a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on June 26, 2008 as a limited edition; the regular edition followed on July 31, 2008. The game is described by the development team as a . The gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
in Rui wa Tomo o Yobu follows a plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters. The title Rui wa Tomo o Yobu is also a Japanese proverb
Japanese proverbs
- Kotowaza :A may take the form of:*a short saying ,*an idiomatic phrase , or*a four-character idiom ....
equivalent to the English proverb "birds of a feather flock together" when written with the kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
and kana
Kana
Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...
.
Gameplay
Rui wa Tomo o Yobus gameplayGameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
requires little interaction from the player as most of the duration of the game is spent simply reading the text that appears on the screen which represents either dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
between the various characters or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. Every so often, the player will come to a point where he or she is given the chance to choose from multiple options. The time between these points is variable and can occur anywhere from a minute to much longer. Gameplay pauses at these points and depending on which choice the player makes, the plot will progress in a specific direction. There are five main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. To view all five plot lines, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and make different decisions to progress the plot in an alternate direction. One of the goals of the gameplay is for the player to enable the viewing of hentai scenes
Hentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
depicting the protagonist, Tomo, and one of the five heroines having sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
.
Plot
Rui wa Tomo o Yobu revolves around the feminineFemininity
Femininity is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with girls and women. Though socially constructed, femininity is made up of both socially defined and biologically created factors...
Tomo Wakutsu who was brought up by his mother as a girl due to a small mark he has on his body. After his mother's death, he discovers via her will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
that she emphases Tomo continue to live as a female, and following this, Tomo starts to go through more troubles in his life. Tomo soon discovers that he is linked with five girls who are around his age as a second year high school student. These girls happen to have the same mark he has, and also have been going through hardships in their lives. Tomo and these five girls decide to form a pact to stay together and support each other to solve each of their problems and to bring peace to their lives. Though Tomo initially hides the fact that he is male from the others, the five girls eventually discover his secret.
Development
Rui wa Tomo o Yobu is Akatsuki Works' second game in less than one year. The project is notable as having a very few people credited for having taken a part in the creation of the game, and none of them had previous worked on Akatsuki Works' first title Boku ga Sadame-kun ni wa Tsubasa o.. The scenario was divided between two writers, Wataru Hino and Jō Shūdō. Art direction and character design were done by Hokuto Saeki who was also one of five main artists for BaseSon's 2007 visual novel Koihime MusōKoihime Muso
is a Japanese adult visual novel and strategy game based on the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It was developed by BaseSon, and was first released on January 26, 2007, for the PC as two DVD-ROMs, followed by a re-release on April 11, 2008, containing an extra CD-ROM...
.
Release history
Before Rui wa Tomo o Yobus initial release, a free game demoGame demo
A game demo is a freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released video game. Demos are typically released by the game's publisher to help consumers get a feel of the game before deciding whether to buy the full version....
became available for download at the visual novel's official website. In the demo, the player is introduced to the main characters in the game that is typical of the gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
found in a visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
which includes times during gameplay where the player is given several choices to make in order to further the plot in a specific direction. The full game was first released on June 26, 2008 as a limited edition playable as a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on a Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
; the regular edition followed on July 31, 2008. The limited edition contained an art collection from the game which includes storyboards and rough illustrations.
Music
The visual novel has two main theme songs, one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme, , is sung, written, and composedMusical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
by Marika of the Japanese musical group Angel Note. The ending theme, , is sung and written by Riryka, and composed by Shunsuke Shiina, both of whom are also from Angel Note. A vocal CD maxi single
Maxi single
A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...
containing both theme songs was released as a promotional gift to those who pre-ordered the limited edition version of the visual novel, and was released with that version on June 26, 2008.