Catgirl Hentai Visual Novel Review: Nekopara 4

Written by Rastafoo69, edited by Otaku Apologist

Nekopara 4, a visual novel developed by NEKO WORKS. Released November 26, 2020. Download on DLSite for $22.00. Free demo available. For PC Windows. Full Japanese voice acting. Censored genitals. Available in English, Chinese, and Japanese.

Many months have passed since the events of Nekopara 3. It’s winter time! Christmas is coming soon! And it’s up to Kashou to bake something for the holidays. But with his disapproving father over his shoulder, Kashou’s lost his confidence!

Want to know more about Nekopara? Read our overview of this adult game series.

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STORY

While the game can be enjoyed as a stand-alone experience, it’s heavy on references to previous titles. I highly recommend you save this game until you’ve tried all other Nekopara titles.

While the previous games took place during the summer, this game takes place in winter. The time-skip was well done, with subtle changes and developments in the characters. For example, Azuki and Vanilla are skilled at baking now! They can run the shop without you!

The addition of Kashou’s father brings out entirely new character dynamics. For example, this is the first time I’ve ever seen Shigure shrink and submit to someone else. Normally bold, she acts all shy now! Seeing a new side to the character was the best part of this.

This being the final game means that all the characters are already introduced! This means, no catgirl gets favor over another. Even better, people hang out in unlikely pairings! Cinnamon and Azuki are at the arcade together! This loose and relaxed presentation allowed for characters to compliment each other well. Some moments, I laughed loud as a cow!

The story is split into five chapters. The first three chapters mirror the first three games. Chapter one is with Chocola and Vanilla, chapter two is with Azuki and Coconut, chapter three is with Maple and Cinnamon. In chapter four Kashou and Shigure visit Paris, France to help Kashou improve his baking. Chapter five is the perfect happy ending.

At the end of the game, Kashou’s father finally accepts him. Even better, all of the catgirls and Shigure move in with Kashou at the bakery! From now on, nobody will ever be separated again! It was beautiful.

GAMEPLAY

Nekopara 4 is a kinetic novel with all the standard features. Press CTRL to fast forward. Scroll to access the text log. Right click to hide the text boxes. You can save your progress into multiple slots or use the quicksave feature for smooth bookmarking.

As the final entry, this game has all the fun features that were added in previous titles. There’s a touch system, a rewind function, and the wonderfully smooth engine that operates without a single bug!

The most prominent addition to this game are the five choices to match the five sex scenes. Are you completely alone? If you say ‘yes’, you can view a hardcore pounding! If you say no, a SFW scene like mild kissing will play instead. These alternate scenes give the game tons of replay value. One day I might want to fap, while another I might want to cuddle. It’s a perfect balance.

GRAPHICS

The visuals in this game are updated to match the Winter atmosphere. A lot more white and brown is used in this game to mirror a cozy log-cabin vibe. The hot springs hammered this home even further, with the steam feeling like a perfect counter to cold winter nights.

Every girl has new outfits and character poses. Maple wears black leggings to match her classy nature, Cinnamon shows off a lot of cleavage since her bust is hard to manage, and petite little Azuki wears a cute hat with space for her cat ears! Every girl has a custom look, even in their bath robes! Finally, the developer is giving us fan service!

The opening and ending cinematics are absolutely beautiful. The wide variety of background images are incredibly detailed to match the wider scope of this experience. Previous games were focused on the pastry shop, but this game is much more broad overall. Best of all, the artist never cut corners. The bedroom in France is distinct from previous bedrooms throughout the game! And that bed gets a lot of use!

Chibi art is still used on occasion, but the huge amount of fully detailed CGs makes the Chibi art a fun treat. Speaking of art, when a woman living in Paris tells her life story, the art style changes to a monochrome color scheme uncommon for the Nekopara series. This was absolutely wonderful. I love how a western art style was adopted for a western story, before returning to the anime style for the Japanese characters. It made the world feel detailed, varied, and alive.

Did you notice that Shigure looks a lot like her mother, while Kashou looks a lot like his father? You can tell the character design behind new additions was thoughtful and intentional, I absolutely loved it! I hate Milk’s new design, but that’s the only negative I can think of.

The emote system is still in use, but the developer has taken steps to act more creative with it. Like when Chocola dashes into a scene and almost loses her balance! And the developer is unafraid to have more than two cats on screen at any time. That puts more animation on his shoulders, but also creates a lively feeling inside La Soleil.

The greatest improvement this game has over others, is fixing the rewind and touch functions. In previous games, it was hit or miss as to whether or not characters would resume their facial expressions after a break. But in this game, using the touch system will not ruin a scene. If a girl was previously angry, she’ll stay that way. If she was ambivalent, she’ll stay that way. Now you can use the touch system without messing up the story.

Attention to detail is important, and this developer knows it! Using the emote system, characters tilt their heads either towards you or another during conversation. This shows the characters are listening to each other, and the eyes show it too! The emote system is the future of visual novels everywhere!

VOICE ACTING AND SOUND EFFECTS (SFX)

All characters in the game are fully voiced, even Milk! Personally, I think Milk’s voice doesn’t match her body. But every other character was awesome! Kashou’s father sounds like the intimidating patriarch of a business family, while Kashou’s mother is a doting matriarch.

The greatest relief was that all six catgirls sound exactly the same as before. Many years have passed since Nekopara 3! I was worried the voices would be different, but instead they’re perfectly identical to how they were before! The nostalgia and comfort of these voice actresses is enough to bring a tear to my eye.

Voice actresses have to work with the writing they’re given, and in this case they got some awesome material! Pairing Coconut and Chocola was a perfect mix of bouncy energy, while pairing Vanilla and Maple was an unlikely but enjoyable subversion of expectations. Technically Maple is the big sister, but they behave a lot closer in age because Vanilla is so mature. I absolutely adored listening to their quarrels.

The sound effects are where this game shines. From the menus to the storyline, a brand new line of sounds are used to create a truly fresh experience compared to previous Nekopara titles. In one scene, you can even hear Kashou’s heartbeat with the tension rising!

MUSIC

There are 26 songs in total. While many old tracks make a welcome return, many new tracks are added in to compliment new characters and locations. Kashou’s father for example, has a Japanese style theme with flutes and Asian percussion substitutes. It creates dramatic suspense and really sets his character apart from the others.

The developer created many single-use tracks. For example, certain tracks only play in Paris, France. This gives each region of the game a unique feeling and personality apart from the others.

As with all Nekopara titles, the music room is unavailable until the game is completed. It never bothered me in the past but now, with 26 songs total, I can see how it would bother newcomers. I wish the music was available straight from the moment you start. Not everybody has time to play through the entire game to hear their favorite songs.

HENTAI

There are 5 sex scenes total. They can only be viewed if you choose “completely alone” when prompted. As always, the all-ages edition of the game does not include any of these scenes.

Each sex scene comes with multiple partners and positions. Especially at the ending of the game where you have an orgy with all your catgirls. Although it’s recorded as one scene, you’ll be having tons of erotic sex with all six of your ladies! Now that’s one really big scene!

Two of the sex scenes feature footjobs as outercourse. Azuki is in the same sex position as every other game, a lifted up version of reverse cowgirl. Her dialogue is also similar to previous titles in saying her “stomach is packed”, to emphasize her short size. In other words, these scenes will be hit or miss for many.

I wish the girls had some edgy dialogue, that there’d be sex outside of threesomes, and that the footjobs were optional. Right now it seems like the footjobs replaced other forms of outercourse like a sexy lapdance. NEKO WORKS has the emote system, but they rarely use it creatively.

Still, overall these sex scenes are very hot. The animated thrusting and audible moaning makes these moments enjoyable regardless of their predictability.

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CONCLUDING WORDS

Nekopara 4 is the latest and possibly final addition to the series. The graphics are phenomenal, the story is heartwarming, and the voice acting is perfect as always. The music is entertaining and high quality as well. All of the production values are high as a kite. It’s not an exaggeration to say, this is the peak of the entire Nekopara experience.

Download Neko Para 4. If you loved this game but want a simpler experience, check out our review of Neko Para 1.