Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese action
role-playing video game developed by Pegasus Japan and published by ASCII Media Works
for the Nintendo DS
handheld
video game console
, and was first released in Japan on March 19, 2009 in limited and regular editions. The game was produced in commemoration of the fifteenth anniversary of ASCII Media Works' light novel
imprint
Dengeki Bunko
. The player assumes the role of an unnamed protagonist attending Dengeki Academy who stumbles into a fight between heroines from Dengeki Bunko novel worlds and the evil organization Zetsumu. The reality-based world of Dengeki Academy and the novel worlds have become connected and the player is able to help the Dengeki Bunko heroines fight the Zetsumu by going between the worlds. Eight heroines are presented including Shana from Shakugan no Shana
, Kino from Kino's Journey
, and Kana Iriya from Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu
. Each heroine fights with her own unique style of weapon, combos, and special attacks. The protagonist is designed by Kouhaku Kuroboshi, and his childhood friend Kizuna Kasugai is designed by Noizi Ito
.
aspect of gameplay
. During these times, the player can either choose to battle the enemy with the player character, or switch during battle to one of the novel heroines. The player and each of the heroines have a life bar denoting how much health
the character has, and an energy bar denoting the energy
still usable for attacks. Each of the fighters use weapons specific to them, such as Shana from Shakugan no Shana
using her katana
, and Kino from Kino's Journey
using her firearm
s. Combo attacks are possible to execute, and each character has his or her own unique combo and special attack. Enemies originally featured from the heroines' novels also make appearances. Of the eight heroines featured in the game, three—Index, Haruka Nogizaka, and Misao Minakami—are designated as helper characters. They can provide battle assistance via ability cards that can be used to attack enemies and heal the player's team, among other support. These cards have their origins in Dengeki Bunko novels, such as ability cards featuring helpful attacks and items from Spice and Wolf
and Inukami!
.
light novel
s, and a dream of hers is to read all the novels under that imprint
which exceeded 1800 volumes in July 2009. She takes the initiative in everything she does, and is the type to be responsible for keeping the peace. She is a caring person, but she is a little unyielding. Dengeki Gakuen RPG features eight main female characters from Dengeki Bunko light novel series, who include: Shana (voiced by: Rie Kugimiya
) from Shakugan no Shana
, Kino (voiced by: Ai Maeda
) from Kino's Journey
, Kana Iriya (voiced by: Ai Nonaka
) from Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu
, Index (voiced by: Yuka Iguchi) from Toaru Majutsu no Index, Taiga Aisaka (voiced by: Rie Kugimiya) from Toradora!
, Dokuro (voiced by: Saeko Chiba
) from Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan
, Haruka Nogizaka (voiced by: Mamiko Noto
) from Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
, and Misao Minakami (voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu
) from Asura Cryin'
. There are also characters that can become available, such as Mikoto Misaka (voiced by: Rina Satō
) from Toaru Majutsu no Index and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun.
, he uses searching for the ghost as an excuse to sneak into the school campus one night. However, his childhood friend Kizuna Kasugai comes with him to search for the ghost, and the two decide to search around the bench in front of the campus store. In the silent darkness, the two gradually arrive to open the door of the store and before them they see a person's shadow move in the room. By straining his eyes, the protagonist sees that the person casting the shadow is eating melon bread
, and realizes that this must be the cause of the ghost rumor; the shadow is in fact cast by Shana from Shakugan no Shana
. This is possible due to one day the reality-based world of Dengeki Academy and the worlds of the Dengeki Bunko
light novels to suddenly become connected allowing people from both the real-world and the novel worlds to cross over.
By meeting Shana, the protagonist and Kizuna become entangled in a struggle by the members of the novel worlds to protect their worlds from the unidentified evil organization known as who have been changing story details from the novel worlds and creating disorder in them. Their goal is "to snatch away the smiles from every person". In order to combat Zetsumu, the protagonists will help the fighters from the novel worlds by traveling between the real-world and novel worlds.
. The CG artwork
featured in the game was done by a team of graphic artists from Akabeisoft2. The music in the game is composed by Yūji Toriyama. The game's opening theme song
, , is sung by Yuuka Nanri
and the lyrics are written by Yūho Iwasato
. The game was first released in Japan on March 19, 2009 in limited and regular editions. The limited edition was sold at nearly twice the price of the regular edition, and included with the game a set of four small super deformed
figurines of Taiga, Shana, Kino, and Index. A book of short stories written by Dengeki Bunko
authors entitled was given as a special favor for reserving either game edition; each story is set at Dengeki Academy.
entitled was released on March 28, 2009. The CD also contains two vocal songs sung by Eri Kitamura
, the drama CD's theme song "Believe", and the game's insert song "Planetary". The game's official fan book was released on March 19, 2009 published by ASCII Media Works.
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 action
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
role-playing video game developed by Pegasus Japan and published by ASCII Media Works
ASCII Media Works
is a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
handheld
Handheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
, and was first released in Japan on March 19, 2009 in limited and regular editions. The game was produced in commemoration of the fifteenth anniversary of ASCII Media Works' light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
Dengeki Bunko
Dengeki Bunko
is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works . It was established in June 1993 with the publication of Hyōryū Densetsu Crystania volume one, and is a light novel imprint aimed at a male audience...
. The player assumes the role of an unnamed protagonist attending Dengeki Academy who stumbles into a fight between heroines from Dengeki Bunko novel worlds and the evil organization Zetsumu. The reality-based world of Dengeki Academy and the novel worlds have become connected and the player is able to help the Dengeki Bunko heroines fight the Zetsumu by going between the worlds. Eight heroines are presented including Shana from Shakugan no Shana
Shakugan no Shana
, also known simply as Shana, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi, with illustrations by Noizi Ito. The series includes 25 novels released between November 2002 and October 2011 published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...
, Kino from Kino's Journey
Kino's Journey
, shortened to Kino's Journey, is a Japanese light novel series written by Keiichi Sigsawa, with illustrations by Kouhaku Kuroboshi. The series originally started serialization in volume five of MediaWorks' now-defunct light novel magazine Dengeki hp on March 17, 2000...
, and Kana Iriya from Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu
Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu
is a Japanese sci-fi light novel series written by Mizuhito Akiyama with illustrations by Eeji Komatsu that centers on the relationship between Kana Iriya, a high school girl who has to fight alien invaders, and Naoyuki Asaba, a member of the school newspaper club and one of her few friends...
. Each heroine fights with her own unique style of weapon, combos, and special attacks. The protagonist is designed by Kouhaku Kuroboshi, and his childhood friend Kizuna Kasugai is designed by Noizi Ito
Noizi Ito
is a Japanese manga and game artist from Hyōgo, Japan. She is employed by the H-game maker UNiSONSHIFT and is a part of the circle Fujitsubo-Machine...
.
Gameplay
In Dengeki Gakuen RPG, the story is progressed through the player exploring Dengeki Academy and the novel worlds, and conversing with the characters in the game. When an enemy is encountered, the game switches over to the action RPGAction role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
aspect of 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...
. During these times, the player can either choose to battle the enemy with the player character, or switch during battle to one of the novel heroines. The player and each of the heroines have a life bar denoting how much health
Health (game mechanic)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
the character has, and an energy bar denoting the energy
Magic point
Magic points are units of magical power that are used in many role-playing, computer role-playing and similar games as an expendable resource that is needed to pay for magic spells and other abilities, such as special attacks...
still usable for attacks. Each of the fighters use weapons specific to them, such as Shana from Shakugan no Shana
Shakugan no Shana
, also known simply as Shana, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi, with illustrations by Noizi Ito. The series includes 25 novels released between November 2002 and October 2011 published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...
using her katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
, and Kino from Kino's Journey
Kino's Journey
, shortened to Kino's Journey, is a Japanese light novel series written by Keiichi Sigsawa, with illustrations by Kouhaku Kuroboshi. The series originally started serialization in volume five of MediaWorks' now-defunct light novel magazine Dengeki hp on March 17, 2000...
using her firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s. Combo attacks are possible to execute, and each character has his or her own unique combo and special attack. Enemies originally featured from the heroines' novels also make appearances. Of the eight heroines featured in the game, three—Index, Haruka Nogizaka, and Misao Minakami—are designated as helper characters. They can provide battle assistance via ability cards that can be used to attack enemies and heal the player's team, among other support. These cards have their origins in Dengeki Bunko novels, such as ability cards featuring helpful attacks and items from Spice and Wolf
Spice and Wolf
is a Japanese light novel series written by Isuna Hasekura, with illustrations by Jū Ayakura. ASCII Media Works published 17 novels between February 2006 and July 2011 under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. ASCII Media Works reported that as of October 2008, over 2.2 million copies of the first nine...
and Inukami!
Inukami!
is a Japanese light novel series written by Mamizu Arisawa, with illustrations by Kanna Wakatsuki. The series originally started serialization in volume seventeen of ASCII Media Works' now-defunct light novel magazine Dengeki hp on April 18, 2002...
.
Characters
The player assumes the role of an unnamed sixteen-year-old protagonist attending Dengeki Academy as a second-year high school student; the player is given the choice of any name for him. He does not often give deep thought before he acts, but is also a softhearted person. He is accompanied by his seventeen-year-old childhood friend and classmate who he met during kindergarten. In contrast to the protagonist who does not read much, Kizuna is the library committee chairman and loves to read. She is described as a fan of Dengeki BunkoDengeki Bunko
is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works . It was established in June 1993 with the publication of Hyōryū Densetsu Crystania volume one, and is a light novel imprint aimed at a male audience...
light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
s, and a dream of hers is to read all the novels under that imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
which exceeded 1800 volumes in July 2009. She takes the initiative in everything she does, and is the type to be responsible for keeping the peace. She is a caring person, but she is a little unyielding. Dengeki Gakuen RPG features eight main female characters from Dengeki Bunko light novel series, who include: Shana (voiced by: Rie Kugimiya
Rie Kugimiya
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with I'm Enterprise.Kugimiya's most famous roles include Alphonse Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist, Happy in Fairy Tail, Kagura in Gintama, Nagi Sanzenin in Hayate no Gotoku!, Shana in Shakugan no Shana, Louise in Zero no Tsukaima, Taiga Aisaka in Toradora!, and...
) from Shakugan no Shana
Shakugan no Shana
, also known simply as Shana, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi, with illustrations by Noizi Ito. The series includes 25 novels released between November 2002 and October 2011 published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...
, Kino (voiced by: Ai Maeda
Ai Maeda (actress)
is a Japanese model and actress.-Biography:Maeda is notable for performing Shiori Kitano in the 2003 film Battle Royale II: Requiem, as well as for voicing the title role in the anime series Kino's Journey . Her younger sister is Aki Maeda...
) from Kino's Journey
Kino's Journey
, shortened to Kino's Journey, is a Japanese light novel series written by Keiichi Sigsawa, with illustrations by Kouhaku Kuroboshi. The series originally started serialization in volume five of MediaWorks' now-defunct light novel magazine Dengeki hp on March 17, 2000...
, Kana Iriya (voiced by: Ai Nonaka
Ai Nonaka
is a Japanese voice actress. She currently works for Aoni Production and was formerly a member of the voice actor unit DROPS, which included fellow voice actor Akemi Kanda, Tomoko Kaneda, Mariko Kōda, and Ryōko Shiraishi...
) from Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu
Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu
is a Japanese sci-fi light novel series written by Mizuhito Akiyama with illustrations by Eeji Komatsu that centers on the relationship between Kana Iriya, a high school girl who has to fight alien invaders, and Naoyuki Asaba, a member of the school newspaper club and one of her few friends...
, Index (voiced by: Yuka Iguchi) from Toaru Majutsu no Index, Taiga Aisaka (voiced by: Rie Kugimiya) from Toradora!
Toradora!
is a Japanese light novel series by Yuyuko Takemiya, with illustrations by Yasu. The series includes ten novels released between March 10, 2006 and March 10, 2009, published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. Three volumes of a spin-off light novel series was also created,...
, Dokuro (voiced by: Saeko Chiba
Saeko Chiba
is a prolific Japanese seiyū and singer, born on August 26, 1977 in Hachinohe, Aomori. She grew up in Tokyo, Japan, and married on her 30th birthday: August 26, 2007. She is contracted to the Space Craft Group...
) from Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan
Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan
is a Japanese light novel series written by Masaki Okayu and illustrated by Torishimo. It centers on a teenage boy and a killer angel from the future who constantly gets him into trouble and kills him violently and repeatedly with a spiked club, only to resurrect him seconds later. The novels were...
, Haruka Nogizaka (voiced by: Mamiko Noto
Mamiko Noto
is a Japanese voice actress working under Office Osawa. She was born in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, and graduated from Hokuriku Gakuen Senior High School.-Voice:...
) from Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
is a Japanese light novel series by Yūsaku Igarashi, with illustrations by Shaa. The series originally started serialization in volume thirty of MediaWorks' now-defunct light novel magazine Dengeki hp on June 18, 2004. One more chapter was published until the first bound novel of the series was...
, and Misao Minakami (voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu
Haruka Tomatsu
is a Japanese voice actress and singer, employed by Music Ray'n .-Summary:Haruka debuted as voice actress in 2007, starring in Shinkyoku Sōkai Polyphonica as Corticarte Apa Lagranges...
) from Asura Cryin'
Asura Cryin'
is a Japanese light novel series by Gakuto Mikumo, with illustrations by Nao Watanuki. The novel series began on July 10, 2005, with fourteen volumes currently published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...
. There are also characters that can become available, such as Mikoto Misaka (voiced by: Rina Satō
Rina Sato
is a Japanese voice actress who works for Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society.-TV Anime:2004:* Divergence Eve * Maria-sama ga Miteru * Maria-sama ga Miteru ~Haru~ 2005:...
) from Toaru Majutsu no Index and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun.
Story
Dengeki Gakuen RPG is set primarily at Dengeki Academy, a Japanese private school that the main characters attend. The story revolves around an unnamed protagonist who one day hears a recent rumor that a ghost has been appearing during the night at school. While he does not have any real interest in the occultOccult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
, he uses searching for the ghost as an excuse to sneak into the school campus one night. However, his childhood friend Kizuna Kasugai comes with him to search for the ghost, and the two decide to search around the bench in front of the campus store. In the silent darkness, the two gradually arrive to open the door of the store and before them they see a person's shadow move in the room. By straining his eyes, the protagonist sees that the person casting the shadow is eating melon bread
Melonpan
, also known as Melon pan, Melon buns or Melon bread, are sweet bakery products from Japan, but also popular in Taiwan and China. They are made from an enriched dough covered in a thin layer of crisp cookie dough. Their appearance resembles a melon, such as a rock melon...
, and realizes that this must be the cause of the ghost rumor; the shadow is in fact cast by Shana from Shakugan no Shana
Shakugan no Shana
, also known simply as Shana, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi, with illustrations by Noizi Ito. The series includes 25 novels released between November 2002 and October 2011 published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint...
. This is possible due to one day the reality-based world of Dengeki Academy and the worlds of the Dengeki Bunko
Dengeki Bunko
is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works . It was established in June 1993 with the publication of Hyōryū Densetsu Crystania volume one, and is a light novel imprint aimed at a male audience...
light novels to suddenly become connected allowing people from both the real-world and the novel worlds to cross over.
By meeting Shana, the protagonist and Kizuna become entangled in a struggle by the members of the novel worlds to protect their worlds from the unidentified evil organization known as who have been changing story details from the novel worlds and creating disorder in them. Their goal is "to snatch away the smiles from every person". In order to combat Zetsumu, the protagonists will help the fighters from the novel worlds by traveling between the real-world and novel worlds.
Development
Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus was developed by Pegasus Japan, and published by ASCII Media WorksASCII Media Works
is a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...
. The CG artwork
CG artwork
CG is a term most commonly known in the West for its use in Japanese webpages to denote digital artwork. In traditional Japanese, it is an abbreviation of the Japanese gairaigo , used to refer to any form of digital artwork, from digitally shaded dōjinshi to legitimate cinematic art...
featured in the game was done by a team of graphic artists from Akabeisoft2. The music in the game is composed by Yūji Toriyama. The game's opening theme song
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
, , is sung by Yuuka Nanri
Yuuka Nanri
, commonly referred to as Yuuka, is a seiyū and also a known Japanese pop singer. She is contracted to Space Craft Entertainment of Space Craft Group.-Biography:Yuuka Nanri first debuted on NHK's in 1995, as a child star....
and the lyrics are written by Yūho Iwasato
Yuho Iwasato
is a Japanese songwriter, for which many of her songs have been used in anime. She is also known by another pen name of Mio Iwasato. In addition, she has written lyrics for some Japanese singers including Maaya Sakamoto, Miki Imai and many others. She is known to be a close friend of Miki Imai,...
. The game was first released in Japan on March 19, 2009 in limited and regular editions. The limited edition was sold at nearly twice the price of the regular edition, and included with the game a set of four small super deformed
Super deformed
Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children...
figurines of Taiga, Shana, Kino, and Index. A book of short stories written by Dengeki Bunko
Dengeki Bunko
is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works . It was established in June 1993 with the publication of Hyōryū Densetsu Crystania volume one, and is a light novel imprint aimed at a male audience...
authors entitled was given as a special favor for reserving either game edition; each story is set at Dengeki Academy.
Related media
The single for "Odyssey" was released on February 25, 2009. The game's original soundtrack was released on March 25, 2009. A drama CDRadio drama in Japan
Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...
entitled was released on March 28, 2009. The CD also contains two vocal songs sung by Eri Kitamura
Eri Kitamura
is a Japanese voice actress and singer, who was born on August 16, 1987 in Tokyo, Japan. She is primarily known for her role in Blood+ as Saya Otonashi and singing the third ending for the anime series Konjiki No Gash Bell . She is also known to be an amateur manga artist in Japan in her spare time...
, the drama CD's theme song "Believe", and the game's insert song "Planetary". The game's official fan book was released on March 19, 2009 published by ASCII Media Works.