The Princess Debut Rebellion

I've been asked a lot lately which title I've chosen to focus on among the Fall release megadump -- since I readily admit I can't play them all (sorry, Dead Space, regrets, dear LBP). And indeed, I have chosen a partner for the Autumn Dance -- it's just that, until now, I've kept a little mum about who the lucky title is.

But I got to be on Michael Abbott's latest "Gamers' Confab" podcast over at Brainy Gamer the other night, in which I finally came clean. This October, the lion's share of my time has gone to... Princess Debut.

If you haven't heard of it, I can't say I'm surprised. There's literally nothing out there on the title. It's developed by Cave -- you know, they make all the crazy shooters -- and published by Natsume, the company that publishes (or, co-publishes) the Harvest Moon games over here in the U.S. If that seems like a weird mashup, the result is even stranger -- it's a touch-screen rhythm-action dance game dating sim. Really. I swear I'm not making it up.

The game casts you as an adorable schoolgirl who, at the story's outset, learns she has a royal body double in another world that she can access through her bedroom closet. Her princess alter-ego is fretting over an upcoming dance competition -- she can't dance, and she's nervous about courting a prince to be her dance partner. The solution? Switch places.

Voila, welcome typical anime schoolgirl (who likes naps, snacks and other bishoujo conventions) to the lovely Flower Kingdom, where dance is law, animals talk, and you've got thirty days to master your dance lessons (a rabbit in a top hat named Tony is your instructor) and navigate social relationships with handsome princes (who are all archetypes! YES!) . You also have to keep your secret about being a fake princess and win dance contests.

The more I write this, the more it sounds like one of the satires I sometimes write here. Longtime Sexy Videogameland readers will remember I used to solicit your crazy ideas in weekly "Best of SVGL" championships back when I still had time to think them up -- this sounds like the time we all came up with crazy fantasies for games that will never get made.

But even though Princess Debut contains every possible element I think is awesome -- rhythm action, poking fun at anime tropes, dating sim gameplay and talking animals -- I swear to god I'm not imagining it. It is quite real, I assure you, and damn me if it isn't the only game I want to play right now. I've beaten it three times already and I still keep playing because I want to get all the endings (five princes, two endings each, plus a sixth "secret" prince -- of course).

I'm serious. I'm hooked. I even have Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia sitting here neglected (in part because it's too hard, I think) -- yeah, yeah, it's beautiful, another fabulous 2D DS Castlevania, back to Princess Debut.

Princess Debut seems largely like fun bubblegum -- and in essence, it is. Nothing wrong with that. The rhythm gameplay is a bit too easy, and you'd be hard-pressed to call it a stirring emotional experience. And yet, it's got surprising depth.

Gameplay is about fifty percent dancing (and improving your skills) and fifty percent walking around and talking to people (and improving your relationships). As I said, the dance gameplay itself is not especially immersive; more of a time waster than a real challenge. What's interesting is that while you're playing on the bottom screen, in the top screen, the characters are doing rather detailed dances that are very clearly modeled on real professional dancers.

The 3D models are not sophisticated at all -- perhaps a little creepy, even -- but the dancing is fun to watch. Think of the cheezy, vicarious thrill you get whenever you peep one of those TV reality shows or camp musicals. And the music is pretty surprisingly clever -- since the game's dancing spans genres like Viennese Waltz, Samba, Jive and Tango, the devs made the interesting decision to remix classical music. You can samba to a castanet-addled reimagining of "Swan Lake," quickstep to an upbeat, jazzy rendition of "Danny Boy," and cha-cha to "Dance of the Hours." Really neat for fans of classic tunes.

And since it's sort of hard to watch while you're playing, the game has an accompanying "movie mode" that lets you dress up your character in any of the outfits you've unlocked, pick which prince she dances with, pick the song and dance, and just watch -- normally not at all the sort of thing I thought I'd ever be interested in, but perhaps it's tapping into my long-dormant, female "play with dolls" instinct (I preferred games to girly things as a kid).

As you dance more, you level up, unlock more songs, and get more accessories -- plenty to love for dress-up fetishists. Throughout the game's story, though, you're supposed to be choosing a partner, interacting with various princes and their personality quirks and trying to get one to pick you.

Although the social/romantic elements are not especially mature or sophisticated (this is an all-ages title) beyond what you normally see in the dating genre, there are still innumerable choices, ways to play, conversations to have, responses to give, and it's overall warm, funny, entertaining and well-done. As such, the replay value's extremely high, and there are plenty of unlockables to keep going for, too. The more you play it, the fonder you become and the happier it makes you.

So this is my October pick, and I'm sticking to it. Overwhelmed by serious, rich blockbuster console titles? Dance it off! I really hope you guys will give it a whirl if you can -- and if my majority-male audience is manly enough to enjoy something so distinctively pink.

Aw, look at her little face! C'mon!