A List: Chuunige likely to sell in the West
Entry posted by Clephas
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Understand, chuunige mostly appeal to a very core fanbase. The style, the fact that they don't translate well, and the fact that most of the action/story is so 'out there' makes the games unapproachable. The sheer amount of text means that localization costs are through the roof, which makes things worse, of course.
I'm being realistic, ignoring my inner fanboy who screams everybody should love chuunige because charage suck in comparison. However, that is the flat-out truth.
So, I decided to make a list of chuunige I believe would sell in the west/appeal more to the western brain... and not just the core fanbase. I have these ordered by the most likely to the least.
1. Bullet Butlers- I say Bullet Butlers is the most accessible precisely because it uses a lot of elements that Western audiences can easily grasp without having to be 'deep' into otaku media. Zombies, elves, dragons, and orcs. Firearms as the most common weapon type, superviolence, and a film noir atmosphere to a great deal of the game. If I were to name one chuunige that has the potential to be a hit (by VN standards), if properly advertised, it is this one.
2. Draculius- If I were to name a sort-of chuunige that is accessible to people that don't particularly like chuunige, this would be it. If you liked the best parts of Libra and hated the rest, you'll probably like this game. It has aged somewhat, but the characters are unique, the story is excellent, and the humor is recognizable on both sides of the ocean.
3. Hello, Lady- Yes, I went there. If you can enjoy Narita Shinri, you will like this game, regardless of your genre preference. Narita Shinri is a protagonist who will earn as many haters as he does lovers, and there won't be that much room in between. However, his story is very much one that is visceral and easily comprehensible for any human who has lost someone they loved.
4. Shinigami no Testament- 3rdEye's chuunige are accessible. I could put any chuunige by that company in this spot other than Bloody Rondo and say that it has the same potential for success. Even Bloody Rondo does have some appeal outside its genre (in fact, it probably has more, lol). 3rdEye is a company that I can use to brainwash newbies without overwhelming them, which is why I was happy when Sorcery Jokers got localized, lol.
5. Gekkou no Carnevale- I can guarantee someone is going to ask why I didn't mention any other Nitroplus game besides this one. However, the themes in this game are very Western, for the most part... and werewolves and murder are always guaranteed to catch the interest of a certain (surprisingly large) crowd over here. Put in living dolls and mafia connections as well, and you have a recipe for success.
I actually thought of naming some others, but when I seriously thought about it, the hurdles for a Westerner and non-chuunige addict for playing those were just too high. Anything Bakumatsu is going to be translated poorly, so Last Cavalier is out. Evolimit has potential, but I thought BB is more likely to catch hold of westerners who aren't already part of the scene. Anything like Dies Irae is almost guaranteed to flop if it isn't 100% crowd-funded (as in, all costs paid for by the crowd-funding), so Bradyon Veda and the Silverio series are out. Vermilion has similar problems. Muramasa suffers from swordsmanship infodumping that will probably cause the average reader's brain to go numb early on. Tokyo Necro has zombies, but the chances of people actually getting past the prologue are relatively low, despite the coolness of the story and setting. Izuna Zanshinken has enormous potential in the US, because of the style and the themes it tackles, but its episodic 'feeling' is a huge negative for some of us...
- ChaosRaven, Chronopolis, 1P1A and 3 others
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