Gadget Trial
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
PC
game for Windows
operating systems
, which combines turn-based strategy
gaming with visual novel
elements, using the common anime
style of artwork for its character designs. It was developed by KOGADO Studio's
Kuma-san Team (which is one of the several in-house development teams of the studio), and was released in Japan on June 23, 2006. The game is commercially distributed for 8800 yen
. Its original language is Japanese, and there are no official translations; however, an unofficial, fan-made English translation patch
is freely available on the Internet, both for the demo
and the full versions of the game.
Gadget Trial takes place in the future, decades after an unidentified world war, and focuses on the so-called E-Series. This is a new generation of military equipment, representing a very advanced level of technology, developed by an organisation called Eastern Treaty Union (ETU) under the codename Project 'Next E. The E-Series units are human-like cyborgs
or "bio-machines", constructed from various organic bio-alloys, and they are capable of regeneration and reproduction, similar to bacteria
. Also, they can utilize Reinforcement Units, special machinery which extends their capabilities beyond regular war machines. Furthermore, their artificial brain greatly surpasses human mental abilities, calculating complex mathematical problems in very short times, and deciding very quickly between various options on how to complete a certain task.
However, there are two kinds of the initial prototype units; Type Black and Type White. The Black E-Series are made with pure focus on effectiveness, laying importance on machine-like obedience and precision. The White E-Series, in opposition to the Black ones, have AIs
which are programmed with human-like personalities, so they act like real humans, displaying various emotions and showing different states of mind depending on the circumstances and their mood. Thus the military executive staff decides to have field trials
, to test which design is better in battle, prior to a pending mass-production. The player gets the role of a young major
who has to train and lead a team of Type White units against a group of Type Black E-Series. Regardless of their type and function, all the units look like attractive young females, with their appearances ranging from the pre-pubertal elementary schooler girl to the well-endowed young lady well in her twenties. Thus, Gadget Trial can be considered a bishōjo ("beautiful girls") game
, which is an anime-related group of video games popular in Japan.
First, the story and the White team is introduced to the player in a visual novel
section. After this, the first trial begins. After a successful maiden battle, a visual novel interlude comes again, which gives way to the next mission. Visual novel parts are always inserted between battles, for comic relief and to introduce the next mission. Albeit one-part turn-based strategy
and one-part visual novel, the game does not feature any sexually offensive content. Thus, the similarity to eroge
, such as Shuffle!
is limited to the graphic style itself, the dialogs and the interface. Naturally, there is indirect violence depicted while engaging opposing units in a turn, but it only shows flashes and explosions in a playful manner, without showing any blood or gore.
Mihara is in charge of the Type White team as the leader, always trying to act serious and a little bit harsh. He is often amused (in the negative sense of the word) by the girls' antics, comments and their overall diversity in their personalities. The player assumes his role in the game's story.
— Model number EPN-000GF NEI:
Nei is the tank
, scout
and armoured personnel carrier
(APC) unit. She has heavy offensive and defensive force, but with a limited movement range. She is the most respected member of the team, both because her combat power and her thoughtful, refined, feminine personality, which also compliments her well-endowed figure. Nei acts like an older sister (onee-san) character to the rest of the girls.
Mini Nei:
Mini Nei accompanies Nei while she uses one of her Reinforcement Units. Mini Nei looks like Nei super deformed
.
— Model number EPN-001GF IZEN:
(Note: Although the English fan-translation uses her designated model name, "Izen", her name's proper romanization and pronunciation would be "Aizen".)
Izen is the infantry
and healer (combat medic)
unit. She has very limited offensive and defensive force, but she is the only unit capable of infiltrating an enemy building, turning it over to the player's side. Izen is the archetypal "sunny idiot" or genki girl of the team; thinking positively, acting cheerful and making silly comments. For example, she likened themselves to regular vacuum cleaners, although a bit fancier. Her favorite snack is dynamite, and she envies Souka, because she can fly everywhere she wants.
— Model number EPN-002AF SOUKA:
(Note: Although the English fan-translation uses her designated model name, "Souka", her name can also be romanized as "Sōka".)
Souka is the jet fighter, carrier helicopter
and bomber
unit. She has good offensive power and a very large range of movement. She is overly confident with her superiority compared to ground forces, which fuels Yu-ri's and Hisoka's constant teasing, stating that she is a perfect killing machine with her ranged, emotionless, shoot-and-forget attacks, thus making her feel very awkward. Sōka can be compared to the stereotypical ōjo
(high self-esteemed, selfish, arrogant, princess-like) characters in anime and manga.
— Model number EPN-003GF YU-RI:
(Note: Although the English fan-translation uses her designated model name, "Yu-ri", her name's proper romanization would be "Yuuri" or "Yūri".)
Yu-ri is the automated artillery
and anti-airforce
(AA) rocket and missile launcher unit. She is only capable of powerful long-range attacks, so other nearby units must protect her. She is the youngest-looking member of the team, and her personality fits her loli
image well, although sometimes she makes the most ironical and satirical comments towards the others.
— Model number EPN-004MF HISOKA:
Hisoka is the submarine
, carrier hovercraft
and warship
unit. She has good offensive force, but she is vulnerable if she is near the shore. She is the most cold-headed amongst the five, being an exact opposite of Souka, and the most reserved, contrasting Izen. Hisoka is rather calm thinking about her purpose as a war machine, talking about warfare and killing with a slight smile on her face. She is also the only team member who doesn't complain about the G-force
test trainings, but endures them silently, reaching a test score far above even Nei's. Hisoka can be likened to the passive, dull, emotionally empty/introverted character archetype of anime and manga, such as Neon Genesis Evangelion
's Rei Ayanami
.
(Note: Although the English fan-translation writes her name as "Yuuki", her name can also be romanized as "Yūki".)
Wakabayashi is the leader of the Type Black team. She acts rather rude and superior to Mihara and his team, firmly believing that her obedient soldiers can easily beat the uncompetent "weirdos" of the Type White team.
Type Black Izen:
The replica of Type White Izen without a personality.
Type Black Souka:
The replica of Type White Souka without a personality.
Type Black Nei and Mini Nei:
The replicas of Type White Nei and Mini Nei without a personality.
Type Black Yu-ri:
The replica of Type White Yu-ri without a personality.
Type Black Hisoka:
The replica of Type White Hisoka without a personality.
Fujimoto is the superior commander of Mihara. He is the chief officer of the home base of the Type White team, and is close to retirement.
:
Wan is the leading commander of the ETU.
2. GoGo Girl!!
3. BGM resolution
4. BGM we're on the march
5. CMですよ！（その１）
6. トーク「このゆとり教育世代め！」
7. BGM message
8. BGM quack！
9. CMですよ！（その２）
10. トーク「少佐に聞け！」
11. CMですよ！（その３）
12. BGM DI
13. BGM pitiful me
14. ショートドラマ劇場「百円ショップより愛をこめて」
15. BGM get well soon
16. BGM supersonic
17. BGM ?stimulants
18. CMですよ！（その４）
19. エンドトーク
20. みんなで歌おうGoGo Girl!!（カラオケ）
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...
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...
game for 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...
operating systems
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
, which combines turn-based strategy
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
gaming with 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...
elements, using the common anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
style of artwork for its character designs. It was developed by KOGADO Studio's
Kogado Studio
Kogado Studio is a Japanese video game studio which has released strategy and bishōjo games for the MSX, MSX 2, PlayStation 2 and PC, including such titles as Gadget Trial, Little Witch Parfait, and Tristia of the Deep-Blue Sea...
Kuma-san Team (which is one of the several in-house development teams of the studio), and was released in Japan on June 23, 2006. The game is commercially distributed for 8800 yen
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
. Its original language is Japanese, and there are no official translations; however, an unofficial, fan-made English translation patch
Patch (computing)
A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance...
is freely available on the Internet, both for the demo
Game 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....
and the full versions of the game.
Overview
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
or "bio-machines", constructed from various organic bio-alloys, and they are capable of regeneration and reproduction, similar to bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
. Also, they can utilize Reinforcement Units, special machinery which extends their capabilities beyond regular war machines. Furthermore, their artificial brain greatly surpasses human mental abilities, calculating complex mathematical problems in very short times, and deciding very quickly between various options on how to complete a certain task.
However, there are two kinds of the initial prototype units; Type Black and Type White. The Black E-Series are made with pure focus on effectiveness, laying importance on machine-like obedience and precision. The White E-Series, in opposition to the Black ones, have AIs
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
which are programmed with human-like personalities, so they act like real humans, displaying various emotions and showing different states of mind depending on the circumstances and their mood. Thus the military executive staff decides to have field trials
Field experiment
A field experiment applies the scientific method to experimentally examine an intervention in the real world rather than in the laboratory...
, to test which design is better in battle, prior to a pending mass-production. The player gets the role of a young major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
who has to train and lead a team of Type White units against a group of Type Black E-Series. Regardless of their type and function, all the units look like attractive young females, with their appearances ranging from the pre-pubertal elementary schooler girl to the well-endowed young lady well in her twenties. Thus, Gadget Trial can be considered a bishōjo ("beautiful girls") game
Bishojo game
A , or , is "a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive anime-style girls". These games are a sub-genre of dating sims targeted towards a male audience....
, which is an anime-related group of video games popular in Japan.
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...
section. After this, the first trial begins. After a successful maiden battle, a visual novel interlude comes again, which gives way to the next mission. Visual novel parts are always inserted between battles, for comic relief and to introduce the next mission. Albeit one-part turn-based strategy
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
and one-part visual novel, the game does not feature any sexually offensive content. Thus, the similarity to eroge
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:...
, such as Shuffle!
Shuffle!
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Navel. It was originally released as an adult game for Microsoft Windows on January 30, 2004. It was subsequently followed by an all-ages release for the PlayStation 2 and an expanded adult release for Windows...
is limited to the graphic style itself, the dialogs and the interface. Naturally, there is indirect violence depicted while engaging opposing units in a turn, but it only shows flashes and explosions in a playful manner, without showing any blood or gore.
Characters
(Notes: Names are in the western name order. The Type Black units doesn't appear in the visual novel sections, thus they are unvoiced.)Type White team
:Mihara is in charge of the Type White team as the leader, always trying to act serious and a little bit harsh. He is often amused (in the negative sense of the word) by the girls' antics, comments and their overall diversity in their personalities. The player assumes his role in the game's story.
— Model number EPN-000GF NEI:
Nei is the tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
, scout
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
and armoured personnel carrier
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...
(APC) unit. She has heavy offensive and defensive force, but with a limited movement range. She is the most respected member of the team, both because her combat power and her thoughtful, refined, feminine personality, which also compliments her well-endowed figure. Nei acts like an older sister (onee-san) character to the rest of the girls.
Mini Nei:
Mini Nei accompanies Nei while she uses one of her Reinforcement Units. Mini Nei looks like Nei 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...
.
— Model number EPN-001GF IZEN:
(Note: Although the English fan-translation uses her designated model name, "Izen", her name's proper romanization and pronunciation would be "Aizen".)
Izen is the infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
and healer (combat medic)
Combat medic
Combat medics are trained military personnel who are responsible for providing first aid and frontline trauma care on the battlefield. They are also responsible for providing continuing medical care in the absence of a readily available physician, including care for disease and battle injury...
unit. She has very limited offensive and defensive force, but she is the only unit capable of infiltrating an enemy building, turning it over to the player's side. Izen is the archetypal "sunny idiot" or genki girl of the team; thinking positively, acting cheerful and making silly comments. For example, she likened themselves to regular vacuum cleaners, although a bit fancier. Her favorite snack is dynamite, and she envies Souka, because she can fly everywhere she wants.
— Model number EPN-002AF SOUKA:
(Note: Although the English fan-translation uses her designated model name, "Souka", her name can also be romanized as "Sōka".)
Souka is the jet fighter, carrier helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
and bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
unit. She has good offensive power and a very large range of movement. She is overly confident with her superiority compared to ground forces, which fuels Yu-ri's and Hisoka's constant teasing, stating that she is a perfect killing machine with her ranged, emotionless, shoot-and-forget attacks, thus making her feel very awkward. Sōka can be compared to the stereotypical ōjo
Ojo
Ojo may refer to:*Ojo the Lucky, an Oz book series character*Ojo, Nigeria, a town in Lagos State, Nigeria*Kim Ojo, Nigerian football midfielder*Topsy Ojo, English rugby union player*Ojo , a 5-part comic book series by Sam Kieth...
(high self-esteemed, selfish, arrogant, princess-like) characters in anime and manga.
— Model number EPN-003GF YU-RI:
(Note: Although the English fan-translation uses her designated model name, "Yu-ri", her name's proper romanization would be "Yuuri" or "Yūri".)
Yu-ri is the automated artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
and anti-airforce
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
(AA) rocket and missile launcher unit. She is only capable of powerful long-range attacks, so other nearby units must protect her. She is the youngest-looking member of the team, and her personality fits her loli
Lolicon
, also romanised as lolikon or rorikon, is a Japanese portmanteau of the phrase "Lolita complex". In Japan, the term describes an attraction to underage girls or an individual with such an attraction...
image well, although sometimes she makes the most ironical and satirical comments towards the others.
— Model number EPN-004MF HISOKA:
Hisoka is the submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, carrier hovercraft
Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
and warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
unit. She has good offensive force, but she is vulnerable if she is near the shore. She is the most cold-headed amongst the five, being an exact opposite of Souka, and the most reserved, contrasting Izen. Hisoka is rather calm thinking about her purpose as a war machine, talking about warfare and killing with a slight smile on her face. She is also the only team member who doesn't complain about the G-force
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
test trainings, but endures them silently, reaching a test score far above even Nei's. Hisoka can be likened to the passive, dull, emotionally empty/introverted character archetype of anime and manga, such as Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion
, commonly referred to as Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful Japanese anime series that began airing in October 1995. The series was highly influential, and launched the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It garnered several major animation awards...
's Rei Ayanami
Rei Ayanami
is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, a Japanese anime from Gainax. She is the First Child and pilot of the Evangelion Unit 00....
.
Type Black team
:(Note: Although the English fan-translation writes her name as "Yuuki", her name can also be romanized as "Yūki".)
Wakabayashi is the leader of the Type Black team. She acts rather rude and superior to Mihara and his team, firmly believing that her obedient soldiers can easily beat the uncompetent "weirdos" of the Type White team.
Type Black Izen:
The replica of Type White Izen without a personality.
Type Black Souka:
The replica of Type White Souka without a personality.
Type Black Nei and Mini Nei:
The replicas of Type White Nei and Mini Nei without a personality.
Type Black Yu-ri:
The replica of Type White Yu-ri without a personality.
Type Black Hisoka:
The replica of Type White Hisoka without a personality.
Other characters
:Fujimoto is the superior commander of Mihara. He is the chief officer of the home base of the Type White team, and is close to retirement.
:
Wan is the leading commander of the ETU.
Music
Gadget Trial's opening theme is called GoGo Girl!!. On July 21, 2006 Five Records released a collection of songs and background music pieces, titled ガジェットトライアル PERFECT AUDIOTRACKS (Gadget Trial Perfect Audiotracks) for 2940 yen.ガジェットトライアル PERFECT AUDIOTRACKS tracklist
1. オープニング「さあこいモンキー野郎ども！」2. GoGo Girl!!
3. BGM resolution
4. BGM we're on the march
5. CMですよ！（その１）
6. トーク「このゆとり教育世代め！」
7. BGM message
8. BGM quack！
9. CMですよ！（その２）
10. トーク「少佐に聞け！」
11. CMですよ！（その３）
12. BGM DI
13. BGM pitiful me
14. ショートドラマ劇場「百円ショップより愛をこめて」
15. BGM get well soon
16. BGM supersonic
17. BGM ?stimulants
18. CMですよ！（その４）
19. エンドトーク
20. みんなで歌おうGoGo Girl!!（カラオケ）