Houkago no Love Beat

Houkago no Love Beat or 'After School Love Beat' is a Japanese-only PS2 otome game (also referred to as GxB games) published by [http://www.d3p.co.jp/] on June 10, 2004. A notable feature of the game is the integration of real J-pop songs into the gameplay, and the ability to watch and listen to the songs again once you have mastered them in-game, as well as the fact that the main character has a voice (many otome games' main characters are not voice acted). The publisher classifies it as a 恋愛アドベンチャー, or 'love adventure' game.

Gameplay

There are two main elements to the gameplay of "Houkago no Love Beat". The narrative element involves the main character having conversations with other characters, making choices that affect the storyline. The 'live part' is a minigame where the player uses the PS2 controller to affect the performance of the band during various songs. If the player does a good job, the song is performed well, and if the player misses a lot of cues, the band performs badly. This in turn affects how well the band is received, whether they get a contract, etc.

Plot

The main character is a high school girl trained in classical piano who has just transferred to a new high school, Aobadai Gakuen. On her first day, she gets lost and meets 4 boys there who are secretly practising as a band. She eventually becomes the songwriter for the band, using her classical background to create fresh melodies for the band to build on.

There's a rival band, Kamui, that also plays a couple songs during the game and provides some plot devices regarding a big band contest with a recording contract as the prize.

Characters

*Main character: High school girl, her default name is Ruka Hibiki but it can be changed. Voice actor: 細野雅世 (HOSONO Masayo)

*Kaito Momose: The band's singer. Voice actor: 石田彰 (ISHIDA Akira)

*Itsuki Tsukuwano: The band's bassist. Voice actor: 小野 大輔 (ONO Daisuke)

*Keisuke Hijirinaka: The band's guitarist. Voice actor: 坪井 智浩 (TSUBOI Tomohiro)

*Kurusu Tenjou: The band's drummer. Voice actor: 川中子 雅人 (KAWANAGO Takahiro)

*Kaoru Himuro: Kamui's vocalist. Voice actor: KASE Kenno

*Akira Himuro: Kamui's guitarist. Voice actor: TSURUDA Kazumi

External links and references

* [http://www.d3p.co.jp/lovebeat/] Publisher's page for the game