Hakoniwa Explorer Plus

I was not sure what to expect from Hakoniwa Explorer Plus, but this turned out to be a game that I could not stop playing! It takes what we love about old school RPGs, wraps them up in some serious charm with a fantastic art style and creates a truly fun, remarkable and memorable experience.

Boy Or Girl?

The game starts by having you select what kind of character you want to play as, boy or girl. In all honesty, it does not matter what you pick. One of the things that I really do like about Hakoniwa Explorer Plus is how straightforward it is. This is a game where you are an adventurer on an island full of monster girls that are cute, loot that needs to be collected and bad guys that need put in their place. There is no over-complicated plot here!

Fight, Loot, Touch, Repeat!

The game is quite fast-paced. You enter an area and clear it out, collect loot, talk to people if necessary and move on. That is really the main gameplaying that you will be doing. It sounds simple and it is, but it is so much fun and satisfying. The combat moves at a quick pace and while simple, I found it very addictive. You will level up and pick up new items that will help you along the way.

As there are monster girls here, you can also be a bit naughty too such as touching your helpers' butt! This is not done in an over-sexualized way but is done in a more tongue in cheek kind of way. I actually love the style that Hakoniwa Explorer Plus has going for it and think this more “cheeky” and “silly” kind of tone works out incredibly well.

Style As Well As Substance

Many games go for a retro style of look these days and this one is no different. I do though think that this one here does it better than most. It has so much charm and personality to it and I love the way the monster girls look hot, but not in a sleazy way. The only issue that I have with the presentation is the menus are perhaps a little clunky to navigate. It is not “bad” but when everything else is so good it does stand out a tad.

I absolutely fell in love with Hakoniwa Explorer Plus in the first ten minutes I played it. This is one of the most fun RPGs that I have played in a while and I think that a huge reason for that is how stripped back and straightforward it is. It is the kind of game you can just jump in and play for as long or as little as you like. It is not like one of those RPGs that require all of your free time. If you like RPGs but are a bit sick of how much time they require, you will love what this game is offering.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Pros:

• This game just oozes charm!
• I love the different monster girls, especially bosses!
• Lots of stuff to fight and loot to collect
• The game has a great sense of humor
• I like how easy it is to get into it

Cons:

• There is not much of a story
• The item management is a tad clunky