It DOES mean that it better be a Hell of a fun ride. That doesn’t mean the final product has to suddenly go deeper than the material calls for. If there is a weakness in the final game, it’ll be here where it simply meets the relatively low bar it sets for itself and that’s it. All things being fair, even though I have yet to play a Hanako title that insults my intelligence other developers who go the ‘low bar’ route never end well on this site. Because, what else are friends for, am I right? It’s an extremely simple setup that, for better or worse, restricts the audience’s expectations. Both MCs are hoping for a little excitement in their relatively average lives with the trip, while their friends are determined to get them laid.
The premise on its own is fairly simple as you play a fairly typical American college student, either Malia or Flynn, who enters a student exchange program in the United Kingdom. Hanako has been busy over the past few years with Black Closet and A Little Lily Princess, so you could consider this something of a cool-down IP for them. Choice of male or female protagonist (renamable) For the moment, let’s talk about the latest entry into the Infatuation subgenre: Hanako Games’ English Exchange. However, it does open more possibilities when it comes to visual novels that decides play on the shallow end of the pool. Sure, it doesn’t pay the same emotional dividends as developing a more complex love story. This usually happens just by living your life and having the same person be a part of your day-to-day. That usually being, ‘I like hanging out with you’. After all, most relationships start with a somewhat shallow marker.