culturedgaming

#209

Popokatsu! -Anzu-chan and DSKB part-time job in the countryside-
Popokatsu! - Hasshaku-chan and DSKB part-time job in the countryside -
By NappleMill

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[Summary]

Join the spirit medium Anzu and the hikikimori gal Yashaku to the countryside.
Exterminate monsters, take lewd odd side jobs, and do your best to reverse the curse that fell on them by a mysterious lewd plague god.

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Review:

I probably hold the world record for the fastest NappleMill customer at this point.

The one circle that NEVER fails to disappoint.
Evolving with every new game within the same hilarious and sexy universe. Coming up with new gameplay ideas that manage to keep things very simple, but very entertaining at the same time.

And of course it goes without saying that the incredible pixel art work makes the whole experience so fun, and so hot at the same time.

God, I fucking love this studio.
A studio that never gets the high recognition it deserves. But here I am, doing god's work in my little cultured haven, hoping that you too will heed my gospel in yet again another wonderful double release.

So NappleMill just released another two games, per their "usual" more or less annual schedule.
The entire series revolves around the Kabopuri universe, where the pumpkin princess and her friends once again fight against the horny evil that plague their land.

I'll drop the links to the earlier releases for those who'd like to catch up to speed with the series, but today we're talking about the new adventure with its new heroines: Anzu and Hasshaku.

📖 The girls have been impregnated by a horny lewd god, ghost, or whatever you wanna call a floating corporeal horny old man.
Since nobody really wants to labor a cursed creature inside them, they seek help from the village doctor. Unfortunately medical insurance isn't quite a thing in the countryside, so in act of desperation they'll have to earn the treatment cash through questionable side-jobs.

🕹️ We're back to the roots with another pixel side-scroller action platformer, where both characters this time share the exact same gameplay. A bit unfortunate, since I liked the melee vs ranged playstyles, but also understandable, given that there is an actual level design that is built upon these mechanics.

The main gameplay feature this time is casting a controllable spell word that increases in power based on the directional move buttons.
Other that killing enemies, you can also ride on the word, which is also necessarily in some cases.

The objective is to take on all side-jobs (sell your body, and sometimes your soul) in the stage, by interacting with the local horny gentlemen.
Doing so will deplete your HP, so always make sure you are healthy enough to initiate the "interview". (actual in-game term)

After taking care of the townsmen needs, find the lewd god statue and destroy it in an epic boss fight, then continue to use all the cash you gathered by selling yourself and killing monsters at the local shop, run by the cameo staff.
Here you can purchase HP recovery, a day-after potion, super charge, but more importantly - costumes that unlock new stages, and another set of costumes that unlock special H scenes that I'll touch soon.

That's basically the game loop. Simple, straight to the point, as it should be in any H game.

Those who are familiar with NappleMill's series will immediately notice the massive artwork facelift. The models are much taller, getting rid of that somewhat chibi look they had until now. This translate to a lot more design freedom and finer details, and elevates the series to a whole new level of quality.

💕 As if I wasn't a huge fan of the studio until now, we're getting even BETTER H content??

The difference between the girls versions is the H animations and cut-scenes.
Per tradition, one girl carries a larger cake than the other - Hasshaku. Many of her scenes highlight her massive boobs compared to her counterpart Anzu.

I gotta say that I'm really digging the side-jobs features now. So far 90% of the H content in the series involved monsters, animals, and other supernatural beings.
Now the content is split 50/50 with monsters and humans. Bonus points for doing organically that makes sense with the narrative.

Not every monster is after your body this time around. You'll need to interact with the ones that overflow with heart shaped aura around them.
Clearing stages doesn't unlock all the content either, so you'll need to basically "catch 'em all" to get the full gallery at the back of your house.

Now, the BIGGEST upgrade, and what I see as effectively DOUBLING the H content is having the option to choose an alt. scene within the same interaction. It's not just a slight change in posture, but a completely new scene!
I'm glad that they took the same idea from the previous game, where you had to change forms but instead simplified it.

Then there's the bonus H scenes at the hot springs. There you'll find NPCs with a fetish for specific costumes that you purchase at the shop.
These are special scenes with multi-phases, so do enjoy them thoroughly...

And the cherry on top - multiple endings.
Based on how much money you saved in the piggy bank, the ending will change.
There is also the straight forward bad ending if you do end up maxing out the birth meter...
These endings will reward you with their own animation and the only still CGs you'll ever see in the game. (non-pixel)

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Overall, the new Popokatsu addition is probably my most favorite in the series.
Yes, the action platforming is still jank, but the game has a lot of soul poured into it.
The pixel art is incredible, detailed, with TONS of different fetishes and new ideas.

Even though the game revolves around pregnancy, it has very little of it, mostly about impregnation rather than the labor itself.
You'll basically find almost every non-grotesque fetish in here, all drawn stunningly with great voice acting and sound effects.

Even the transition scenes are pretty comical, and more than once got an audible chuckle out of me without even understanding the language. It just comes to show how much the devs care for the series more than providing fap material.

With so much H content that can keep you entertained for hours in these games individually and combined, you'll absolutely get all the bang for your buck, and then some.