Lux-Pain
Encyclopedia
is a visual novel
-type adventure
video game developed by Killaware and published by Marvelous Entertainment for the Nintendo DS
video game console
. The game was released in Japan
on March 27, 2008. It was published in North America by Ignition Entertainment
on March 24, 2009, and in Europe by Rising Star Games
on March 27, 2009.
Ray Platière (レイ・プラティエール)
Liu Yee (劉毅/リュウ・イー)
Natsuki Venefskuja (ナツキ・ヴェネフスカヤ)
Nöla Döbereiner (ノーラ・デーベライナー)
Mika Nozaki (野崎ミカ)
Nami Kamishiro (神代ナミ)
Rui Yamase (山瀬ルイ)
Ryo Unami (宇波リョウ)
Yayoi Kamishiro (神代ヤヨイ)
Yui Yamase (山瀬ユイ)
Shinji Naruse (成瀬シンジ)
Akira Mido (御堂アキラ)
Hibiki Kiryu (桐生ヒビキ)
Arthur Mays (アーサー・メイズ)
Graham Miller (グレアム・ミラー)
Edward Steiner (エドワード・スタイナー)
Lil (リル)
Meilin Fu
Mako Ando
Kyosuke Kagami
Tomoyo Hirooka
Yuzi Okura
Shigeru Enokida
Aoi Matusura
Reiji Takano
Honoka Hino
Sayuri Makino
Razzly Portman
Kenichi Mido
Ai Handa
Tomo K.
Kei Tono
members Takeo Higashino and Kazuhiro Yamao. The game took a full 14 months to develop from start to finish. Higashino describes the plot as being "dark," and states that social problems such as truancy
, group suicide
, mental abuse on the internet, and cruelty to animals
inspired him to create the game. He states, "I think this game is a kind of 'antithesis' against the distortion of the current education or the recent crimes that occur amongst young people." Lux-Pain was translated internally at Killaware, but the Japanese voice acting
was replaced for its localizations.
The soundtrack for Lux-Pain was composed by Kenji Ito
and Yasuyuki Suzuki. It was released in Japan April 23, 2008. A CD featuring two vocal songs from the game ("Holding the Holy Pain" and "On/Off") sung by Yoko Takahashi
was released on March 12, 2008. Two pre-order bonuses were included with the game with its release in Japan. They include Lux-Sound, a set of pre-arranged songs from the game's soundtrack along with a drama track; and Lux-Paint, an artbook.
and Metacritic
scores of 51 out of 100. Its localization was almost universally mentioned as being poor, with Austin Shau's GameSpot
review noting that it "makes the story harder to follow than it should be," and "results in too much unintentional humor to take any of Lux-Pain's commentary seriously." The review expresses disappointment over the notion that what could have been a "poignant experience" is ruined by its failure "to deliver on the most basic element of a novel-style adventure," referring to its apparent poor writing. Daemon Hatfield of IGN
remarked, "This graphic adventure doesn't make any sense, and all players are allowed to do is clumsily poke at static scenes and wade through endless pages of poorly-translated dialogue." Modojo's Robert Falcon pans the game entirely, calling the characters "useless."
The Daily Telegraph
online gave a more favorable review, though writer Chris Schilling also mentions the game's "wonky localisation, with grammatical oddities ranging from female characters being referred to as ‘he’ to confusion over whether the setting is Japan or America." He does opine that while "you’d presume those issues would be difficult to overlook ... developer Killaware has crafted a world you’ll find ... difficult to pull yourself out of" and praises its "genuninely interesting themes – the kind most games are afraid to approach."
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...
-type adventure
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
video game developed by Killaware and published by Marvelous Entertainment 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...
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...
. The game was released in 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...
on March 27, 2008. It was published in North America by Ignition Entertainment
Ignition Entertainment
Ignition Entertainment Ltd. is a British video game publisher formed in April 2002. It was created from a selection of smaller developers and publishers, such as Archer MacLean's Awesome Studios.-History:...
on March 24, 2009, and in Europe by Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games is a video games publisher formed as a joint business venture between Scandinavian distributor Bergsala and Japanese video game publisher and content developer Intergrow....
on March 27, 2009.
Gameplay
This game is mostly a visual novel, but there are a few new techniques specific for the DS. When using Lux-Pain, the player 'digs' into their surroundings using the stylus and touch screen. The player can also 'dig' into people's feelings and emotions to find worms, or deep emotions. However, if the player digs in too long and is unable to erase the worms that surround the person, the person's mind becomes corrupt and it becomes game over for the player. The game also ends if you lose a battle against one of the Silent. However, in some cases, if you lose against a Silent (mainly in boss battles) you are able to retry.Plot
Lux-Pain is set in the historical Kisaragi City, a town plagued by mysteries from small mishaps to murders - with no logical explanation as to why these events occur. It seems "Silent", a worm born through hate and sadness, has infected humans and forced them to commit atrocious crimes. Atsuki's parents are the victim of such crimes. To avenge his parents, Atsuki goes through a dangerous operation to acquire Lux-Pain in his left arm, a power so strong that it turns his right eye golden when using it to seek and destroy Silent for good. In this game, however, there is a strong difference between Silent and worms. Worms are a sort of offspring created by Silent that are transferred to anyone who comes in contact with the host of the specific Silent. Worms are much weaker than Silent and are eliminated after simply finding them with the stylus and pressing on them for several seconds. Silent are considered the bosses of the game and though you face many smaller Silent they slowly show the larger Silent who is much stronger. After the first 10 "episodes" you face the first true Silent. This Silent is caused by the emotions of a deceased 12-year-old girl whose parents left for dead in her room. Though not mentioned specifically there are over 685 known Silent and you start with the 683rd.Characters
Atsuki Saijo (西条アツキ)- Atsuki, the main character in Lux-Pain, has survived alone after his parents died. Having "Σ" transplanted in an operation that few survive, Atsuki revived with sparkling black eyes to destroy "Silent". He has a special power of Σ with which he can feel the invisible world to find the existence of darkness. He wears a black contact lens on his right eye because it shines gold at the expense of getting his power. The power of Lux-Pain is kept in his left arm. During the game, Atsuki stays as a highschool student in the local school. He is voiced by Mamoru MiyanoMamoru Miyanois a Japanese voice actor, actor, and singer from Saitama. He is best known for his roles on Ouran High School Host Club, Death Note, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, and Kōtetsu Sangokushi. At the 2007 Seiyu Awards he was nominated for two awards for his role as Light Yagami in Death Note, and in 2008, he...
in Japanese and Jason LiebrechtJason LiebrechtErnest Jason Liebrecht is an American actor and voice actor who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, New Generation Pictures, and OkraTron 5000...
in English.
Ray Platière (レイ・プラティエール)
- A former member of PHALANX years ago and also the founder of FORT. He is one of the government personnel brought in when there was confusion on the slaughter in the official residence, 10 years ago. Not only did he prove the existence of "Silent", but he also resolved the murder. Taking this opportunity, the government established the organization known as FORT, or the Force for Obliteration of the Risk of Terrors, with the fight against "Silent" as its most significant issue. He is voiced by Hikaru MidorikawaHikaru Midorikawais a Japanese voice actor from Otawara, Tochigi who is represented by Aoni Production.He is most known for the roles of Softon in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Tamahome in Fushigi Yugi, Seiran Shi in Saiunkoku Monogatari, Heero Yuy in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Kaede Rukawa in Slam Dunk, Zelgadis Greywords in...
in Japanese and J. Michael TatumJ. Michael TatumJohn Michael Tatum is an American voice actor, ADR Director, and Script writer who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment and OkraTron 5000...
in English.
Liu Yee (劉毅/リュウ・イー)
- He belongs to FORT. ALthough he seems to be skinny, he is an expert in kung-fu and has a well-trained body. Liu Yee has the power of "Σ erase", which is different from Atsuki's. He is a pessimist and goes his own way. He values one's own experiences over ideals. He is voiced by Takehito KoyasuTakehito Koyasuis a Japanese voice actor.-Career:Koyasu is part of the voice actor quartet Weiß consisting of Weiß Kreuz voice castmates Shinichiro Miki, Tomokazu Seki, and Yuuki Hiro...
in Japanese and Christopher R Sabat in English.
Natsuki Venefskuja (ナツキ・ヴェネフスカヤ)
- She assists Atsuki and the other members in FORT. Natsuki also got a Σ transplant, and has the power to detect Shinen in distant places. She is voiced by Minori ChiharaMinori Chiharais a Japanese voice actress who has had roles in several anime series, and a J-pop singer. As a seiyū, she works under the agency Avex Planning & Development, while in her musical career, she has been signed under King Records and is currently with Lantis...
in Japanese and Monica RialMonica RialMonica Jean Rial is an American voice actress, ADR Director, and Script Writer who works for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000...
in English.
Nöla Döbereiner (ノーラ・デーベライナー)
- Nöla is also a member of FORT and supports the main character. Her main role is to assist in gathering information or investigating "Silent". She is calm and theoretical. She is voiced by Eri KitamuraEri Kitamurais 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...
in Japanese and Colleen ClinkenbeardColleen ClinkenbeardColleen Smith Clinkenbeard is an American voice actress, Line Producer, ADR Director, and Script Writer who works for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, and OkraTron 5000. She has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films and series, most notably, Monkey D...
in English.
Mika Nozaki (野崎ミカ)
- One of Atsuki's classmates. She has short, bright blue hair and large blue eyes. She is headstrong and independent, and she works as a journalist for the local newstation and shows great potential. She is childhood friends with Rui Yamase, Akira Mido and Ryo Unami. Often becomes the target of Silent infectees. She is voiced by Mikako TakahashiMikako Takahashiis a seiyū and J-pop singer born May 29, 1980 in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Under the alias Mikako Hyatt, she forms one half of the Excel Saga seiyū duo The Excel Girls . She is employed by I'm Enterprise...
in Japanese and Kate Oxley in English.
Nami Kamishiro (神代ナミ)
- Yayoi Kamishiro's little sister. She is short, and has long auburn hair. She is the first character Atsuki sees and a telepath who is aware of Atsuki's powers and has the power to talk to animals. A dog named Melody always accompanies her. She is voiced by Mamiko NotoMamiko Notois 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:...
in Japanese and Cherami LeighCherami LeighCherami Leigh Kuehn is an American actress and voice actress who is affiliated with Funimation Entertainment...
in English.
Rui Yamase (山瀬ルイ)
- Rui is one of Atsuki's classmates. She is tanned and has curly, blonde hair. She is a telepath and works as a fortune teller, assisted by her power to see a person's future. She refuses to tell her friends' fortunes because she fears that she will see their death. She is voiced by Kaori NazukaKaori Nazukais a freelance voice actress and singer. She is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music. She also announced that she got married in February 2011.-TV anime:1999:*Ojarumaru...
in Japanese and Brina PalenciaBrina PalenciaBrina Michelle Palencia is an American voice actress, singer, and ADR director who works for Funimation Entertainment. She has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films and television series.Apart from her adult female voices, she has been cast in younger...
in English.
Ryo Unami (宇波リョウ)
- One of Atsuki's classmates. His friendly personality is often overtaken by his love for: learning, history, philosophy, books and reading. He has wavy blue hair and round glasses. He manages a bookstore that was inherited from his father and is a neighbor right next door to the building Atsuki lives in. His best friend is Hibiki Kiryu. He is voiced by Naoki Koshida in Japanese and Todd HaberkornTodd HaberkornTodd Michael Haberkorn is an American actor, voice actor, ADR Director and Script writer at Funimation Entertainment and OkraTron 5000...
in English.
Yayoi Kamishiro (神代ヤヨイ)
- One of Atsuki's classmates. The information on her keeps stating that Atsuki thinks she is pretty. She has long, straight auburn hair. She is often found in the school art room painting alone. Despite her calm demeanor, she is a very lonely girl that is jealous of her younger sister's personality and wishes to be spoiled. She is voiced by Atsuko EnomotoAtsuko Enomotois a Japanese singer and voice actress who works for 81 Produce . Her debut role was Yukino Miyazawa from Kare Kano.-Television animation:*.hack//Roots *.hack//SIGN...
in Japanese and Monica RialMonica RialMonica Jean Rial is an American voice actress, ADR Director, and Script Writer who works for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000...
in English.
Yui Yamase (山瀬ユイ)
- A detective in Kisaragi Police Force. She is Rui Yamase's older sister. She has the largest bust of the character span, and gets drunk a lot with her friend Mako. Her reason for becoming a cop is different than Mako's in which she joined to follow in her father's footsteps. She is voiced by Masumi AsanoMasumi Asanois a Japanese voice actress from Noshiro, Akita who works for Aoni Production. She is also known by her nickname, Masumin.- Notable voice roles :Anime* Saga in A Little Snow Fairy Sugar...
in Japanese and Colleen ClinkenbeardColleen ClinkenbeardColleen Smith Clinkenbeard is an American voice actress, Line Producer, ADR Director, and Script Writer who works for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, and OkraTron 5000. She has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films and series, most notably, Monkey D...
in English.
Shinji Naruse (成瀬シンジ)
- Atsuki's classmate. He has messy purple hair and is good with computers. At first glance, he appears spoiled because he gets away with truancyTruancyTruancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions...
, hackingHacker (computer security)In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
and insulting the teachers but that is not the case. He is voiced by Tsubasa YonagaTsubasa Yonagais a Japanese voice actor who works for Ken Production. He was born in Kanagawa Prefecture. He won for best Male Rookie Actor in the 2nh Seiyū Awards for his role as Ren Mihashi in Ookiku Furikabutte.-Anime:2007*Big Windup! 2008...
in Japanese and Greg AyresGreg AyresGregory Scott Ayres is an American voice actor who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000. He has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films...
in English.
Akira Mido (御堂アキラ)
- Atsuki's classmate. He is a martial artist who holds the ideals of BushidoBushido, meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and...
. He has green hair. His father, Kenichi, owns the restaurant called Sweet Ring, which is known for its low fat and delicious sweets. He is not in good terms with his father due to the fact he blames him for his mother's death due to him leaving them and going overseas in Paris to learn pastry from a famous French baker. He later on gets over this idea, and builds a better relationship with Kenichi and often assists his shop. He is voiced by Yuichi Nakamura in Japanese and Robert McCollumRobert McCollumRobert McCollum is an American voice actor who works for anime series at FUNimation Entertainment. He has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films...
in English.
Hibiki Kiryu (桐生ヒビキ)
- Atsuki's classmate. He comes back to Kisaragi School halfway through the game after studying aboard. A telepath who also has Σ powers like Atsuki. He has cyan colored hair. He is best friends with Ryo Unami and constantly worries for him. His caretaker is the nurse Honoka Hino. He is voiced by Kenji NojimaKenji Nojimais a Japanese seiyū who was born in Tokyo. He is employed by Japanese voice talent agency Aoni Production. He is the son of veteran seiyū Akio Nojima and is the younger brother of seiyū Hirofumi Nojima...
in Japanese and Eric ValeEric ValeChristopher Eric Johnson better known by his stage name Eric Vale, is an American voice actor, ADR Director, Script, and Head Writer who is affiliated with Funimation Entertainment...
in English.
Arthur Mays (アーサー・メイズ)
- The art teacher at Kisaragi High School. He is recognizable with his blonde hair and polite manner. He is suspected of having the Original Silent which is later proven false. He is voiced by Kazutoshi HatanoKazutoshi Hatanois a male Japanese voice actor from Ōita, Japan.-Voice roles:*Ai Yori Aoshi as Takashi*Dōjin Work as Junichirō Hoshi*Gift ~eternal rainbow~ as Masaki 'Maki' Edo*Lamento: Beyond the Void as Konoe*Mouse as SAT Agent -External links:...
in Japanese and J. Michael TatumJ. Michael TatumJohn Michael Tatum is an American voice actor, ADR Director, and Script writer who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment and OkraTron 5000...
in English.
Graham Miller (グレアム・ミラー)
- A mysterious CIA agent who infiltrates Kisaragi as a spy, he is a telepath with powerful Σ abilities. Whoever talks to him has a change in personality later on. It is later revealed that he is the main antagonist in the game who is after Rui and Nami's powers. He manages to capture Nami but is later defeated by Atsuki in the final battle. He is voiced by Showtaro MorikuboShowtaro Morikubois a Japanese voice actor, and singer who has voiced characters in anime, drama CDs and video games. According to the Anime News Network and as of July 8, 2006, Morikubo has about 55 voice role credits under his name. He was formerly affiliated with I'm Enterprise.He was born in Hachiōji, Tokyo....
in Japanese and John Burgmeier in English.
Edward Steiner (エドワード・スタイナー)
- An old man that owns Kisaragi's AMS Bank. He is also a famous writer who published the book Phantom. Hibiki met him during his study aboard. It is later revealed he is the leader of the group PHALANX that aims to live cooperatively with Silent. He kills Reiji Takano and nearly destroys Shinji's mind but is later defeated by Atsuki and his mind crushed by Liu Yee. He is voiced by Banjō GingaBanjo Ginga, sometimes credited as his real name , is a Japanese voice actor who was born in Kofu, Yamanashi. Ginga is currently affiliated with Aoni Production...
in Japanese and Bill JenkinsBill JenkinsBill Jenkins may refer to:*William L. Jenkins, American politician*Bill Jenkins , American drag racer-See also:*Bill Jenkings, Australian news reporter*Billy Jenkins, musician*Bill Jenkins, host of Open Mind with Bill Jenkins...
in English.
Lil (リル)
- A little girl that Arthur Mays met on Rainbow Hill about one year prior to the game. She was the reason why Arthur changed his style of painting, but is also the reason why he got infected with "Silent". She is the Original Silent that Ray names The Voice of Eternity. She is voiced by Asami ImaiAsami Imaiis a female Japanese singer and Voice actress who works for EARLY WING. She debuted as a Voice actress in 1999 and as singer in 2009 by releasing her first single "Day by Day / Shining Blue Rain" under the 5pb. Records label. She is also well known for giving voice to Chihaya Kisaragi in THE...
in Japanese and Brina PalenciaBrina PalenciaBrina Michelle Palencia is an American voice actress, singer, and ADR director who works for Funimation Entertainment. She has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films and television series.Apart from her adult female voices, she has been cast in younger...
in English.
Meilin Fu
- A 22-year-old Chinese woman who is into cosplay, and owns a shop called Pumpkin Witch. She becomes affectionate towards Atsuki if you manage not to annoy her. She has the ability to quickly change her Shinen, so she may or may not be a telepath.
Mako Ando
- Loved by everyone in Kisaragi, she is a kind detective who is known for often being clumsy. She's been Yui's best friend from highschool and all the way through college. Has been known to eat excessive amounts of cake. While Mako is searching for the Kisaragi serial killer, she gets fatally stabbed while trying to save Mika Nozaki from an attacker. Even after her death, everyone still misses her dearly.
Kyosuke Kagami
- He's a 26-year-old private investigator. He is a strange man and often suddenly changes the way he talks. He wears a big hood and strange clothes, which is apparently his policy. He is later found dead while investigating a case on someone who goes by the username "Plus" on BBS who mysteriously disappears.
Tomoyo Hirooka
- A heavyset lady who has a thing for money and pretty young boys. She is the caretaker of the Kisaragi City Civic Hall. She wears strange clothes and only sees men as objects.
Yuzi Okura
- Owner of the internet cafe YUZI. Has bad business sense, and frequently renovates his shop. He is seen as very abnormal, has flicky blonde and brown hair and a strange looking hoodie.
Shigeru Enokida
- He's the manager of the Kisaragi post office and owns a small idol called Kee-chan that sits in his front pocket. He is often seen in conversation with the clay doll and claims that Kee-chan has magical powers. He looks after Melody and adores Nami dearly and is a very kind old man but gets seriously angry when someone is being mean to Kee-chan or Nami.
Aoi Matusura
- A language teacher at Kisaragi High School who is extremely strict but also very cute. She really cares for her students and is often seen getting very worried for Shinji Naruse. She is also seen shouting at or chasing Reiji Takano around when he skips work or brings in his invention to find Odo. She is secretly in love with Takano and wishes she could be more like him.
Reiji Takano
- A history teacher at Kisaragi High School. He is often seen walking around with his Odo-measuring machine. During class he is easily distracted and often babbles on about other things like his ideology, rather than teaching history. He is often told off by Ryo and Aoi. Later on his body is discovered in Chitose Pond after a mysterious extended absence from work.
Honoka Hino
- Kisaragi High School's nurse. She has short orange hair in a pony tail. She is a good counselor but has a rough way of speaking. She loves cake and used to work at the hospital but sometimes assists over there. She's a very fun-loving character and cares a lot about her students, especially Hibiki Kiryu, and acts as his guardian. Later on she questions the purpose of life and is overcome with emotions of sadness and death and believes she lied to her patients when she says that they have a purpose in life and that it will be alright. One day at the Kisaragi Hospital, she goes crazy and stabs her patients, killing 4 and injuring 3. After she has been apprehended by police officers, she attempts to attack them and is shot and killed.
Sayuri Makino
- A Kisaragi High School student. She is a great student but has problems speaking to people that she does not feel close to. She likes the shop Pumpkin Witch, anime, games and birds. She is often seen in the PC Room with Shinji Naruse.
Razzly Portman
- A fashionable journalist and newscaster at Seagull, and a good friend of Mika Nozaki. She seems nice but is also strong-willed. A powerful woman.
Kenichi Mido
- The owner and baker of the pastry shop Sweet Ring and Akira's father. He's very close with Mika and initially ignores his son. He often gets into fights with Akira but deep down he cares dearly for him.
Ai Handa
- A college student who works part time at Tohodo while Ryo is at school. She is often bossing Ryo around, and has no interest in old literature which makes Ryo wonder why she works there. She's very cute, wears an apron and has her green hair up in a clip.
Tomo K.
- An elementary student and a classmate of Nami's. His abnormal behavior due to Silent infection reflects on not seeing Nami. After Atsuki removes the Silent, Tomo becomes a telepath and is able to read minds. He later helps Rui hide when Graham controls the town to believe that Nami and Rui are witches.
Kei Tono
- A 12-year-old boy that appears out nowhere and tells Rui that people are coming to kill her. He moves in with Rui and swears he will protect her. He has silver hair and has intense eyes. At first, Mika tries desperately to search for him as she believes he's Rui's true love. Kei is actually a part of Atsuki's soul who was separated from him when Rui tried to read Atsuki's fortune.
Development
Lux-Pain was developed by a team of ten individuals at Killaware, which was founded by former AtlusAtlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
members Takeo Higashino and Kazuhiro Yamao. The game took a full 14 months to develop from start to finish. Higashino describes the plot as being "dark," and states that social problems such as truancy
Truancy
Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions...
, group suicide
Suicide pact
A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to commit suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. Suicide pacts are important concepts in the study of suicide, and have occurred throughout history, as well as in fiction.Suicide pacts are generally...
, mental abuse on the internet, and cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...
inspired him to create the game. He states, "I think this game is a kind of 'antithesis' against the distortion of the current education or the recent crimes that occur amongst young people." Lux-Pain was translated internally at Killaware, but the Japanese voice acting
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
was replaced for its localizations.
The soundtrack for Lux-Pain was composed by Kenji Ito
Kenji Ito
, also known by the nickname , is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on the Mana and SaGa series, though he has worked on over 30 video games throughout his career as well as composed or arranged music for over 15 other albums, concerts, and plays...
and Yasuyuki Suzuki. It was released in Japan April 23, 2008. A CD featuring two vocal songs from the game ("Holding the Holy Pain" and "On/Off") sung by Yoko Takahashi
Yoko Takahashi
is a Japanese singer from Tokyo, perhaps best known for performing , the opening theme song of the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. She also performs the closing theme, an "acid bossa" version of "Fly Me to the Moon" and , the closing theme of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth...
was released on March 12, 2008. Two pre-order bonuses were included with the game with its release in Japan. They include Lux-Sound, a set of pre-arranged songs from the game's soundtrack along with a drama track; and Lux-Paint, an artbook.
Reception
Lux-Pain has not received much praise, with current aggregate Game RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
and Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
scores of 51 out of 100. Its localization was almost universally mentioned as being poor, with Austin Shau's GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
review noting that it "makes the story harder to follow than it should be," and "results in too much unintentional humor to take any of Lux-Pain's commentary seriously." The review expresses disappointment over the notion that what could have been a "poignant experience" is ruined by its failure "to deliver on the most basic element of a novel-style adventure," referring to its apparent poor writing. Daemon Hatfield of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
remarked, "This graphic adventure doesn't make any sense, and all players are allowed to do is clumsily poke at static scenes and wade through endless pages of poorly-translated dialogue." Modojo's Robert Falcon pans the game entirely, calling the characters "useless."
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
online gave a more favorable review, though writer Chris Schilling also mentions the game's "wonky localisation, with grammatical oddities ranging from female characters being referred to as ‘he’ to confusion over whether the setting is Japan or America." He does opine that while "you’d presume those issues would be difficult to overlook ... developer Killaware has crafted a world you’ll find ... difficult to pull yourself out of" and praises its "genuninely interesting themes – the kind most games are afraid to approach."