LoveKami: Divinity Stage (PC) Review

LoveKami: Divinity Stage follows the NEKOPARA series formula, in that it's not your standard romance story. The ones that the protagonist will get to know and flirt with are not just simple girls, but goddesses that have descended upon the earth in order to meet with good ol' Homo Sapiens and exchange cultural experiences (sort of). Unlike the NEKOPARA franchise, however, this doesn't take its "lore" as seriously, and as a result, it's a much more pleasant read, as well as a more focused one, since it doesn't waste as much time delving into the whole divinity thing, and simply goes straight into the lovey-dovey (and sexy-sexy) stuff.

If the introductory paragraph wasn't clear enough, this is all about the romance, and as expected from a game of its kind, it is all purposely simplistic, as it mainly tries to be titillating… and succeeds while at it… And this actually comes from a gamer who has rarely enjoyed these types of products, as most take their selves a bit too seriously, or just add lots of pointless filler between their few NSFW scenes. In comparison, LoveKami: Divinity Stage feels a bit more focused.

Sure, it's still a ridiculous concept. Goddesses have appeared, and instead of doing anything special with their powers they work at maid cafes and form J-Pop Idol groups… and yet, it's actually a fun experience, mainly because it knows what it wants to be. Which is? An ecchi visual novel, AKA a piece of "harmless" anime erotica, AKA an H-game minus the porn scenes. It's meant to immerse… and titillate.

The perfect example is the whole goddess shtick. Instead of something that feels out of place, it's actually a way to increase the… err, mental excitement - which, by the way, mostly relies on text, instead of on-screen naughtiness. Thankfully, there's plenty of it as well, especially the closer one gets towards the finale.

Technically, it's one of the better visual novels, although it does fall into the crime of resource recycling, not to mention that the character design is so not special that the main girl trio could easily be named shy busty goddess, naughty busty goddess, and classy busty goddess. Furthermore, while generally a fine game, it doesn't have anything that separates it from the rest, as it's formulaic to the bone, goddesses or no goddesses.

Also note that, first, it's a pretty short ride, and, secondly, that it's not for those who hate kinetic novels. There's a choice somewhere close to the middle of the adventure, but it's just a three-way crossroad where the player chooses the girl the protagonist will… get jiggy with. In conclusion? Pretty enjoyable (for what it is), but we've all seen better, right? Right??? Guys…?