Slice of Life Visual Novel Review: Nekopara 0

Written by Rastafoo69, edited by Otaku Apologist

Nekopara 0, a visual novel developed by NEKO WORKS. Released August 16, 2016. Download on Steam for $3.00. For PC Windows, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Full Japanese voice acting. Available in English, Chinese, and Japanese.

It’s another day at the Minazuki household. Shigure and her six catgirls are goofing around and enjoying daily life. Follow them through an average day from before the events of Nekopara 1.

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

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STORY

As a slice of life visual novel, there is no overall story. Rather, the game is split into 15 mini-events throughout the day. It starts with waking up, and ends with bedtime.

In chapter 3, we see Coconut keeps breaking dishes. This is a habit she carries until the events of Nekopara 2. In chapter 7, we see all the catgirls go for a walk and spend time together. In chapter 11, we see tons of comedic dialogue as the girls wonder if Kashou has a girlfriend. In chapter 15, Vanilla and Chocola want to sleep over with Shigure. Naturally, everyone else joins in.

The game is around two hours long and mainly focuses on comedy and dialogue. Kashou does not appear, and there is no main character. Since there are no men, there are no sex scenes either.

This game was released in between Nekopara 1 and 2. At the end of 1, we see all the other catgirls are joining Kashou’s bakery. This game introduces all of their personalities.

GAMEPLAY

Nekopara 0 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 a spin-off title, the game is nearly identical to Nekopara 1. However, this game adds the touch-function that was later implemented in Nekopara 2. In the top right corner of the screen, click the hand symbol to activate headpats and other cute activities.

GRAPHICS

While most games in the Nekopara series add something new to enjoy, this game does not. From character poses to clothing options, every girl is identical to her appearance in Nekopara 1.

From the engine to the user interface, everything is the same. In fact, this game is a bit rough around the edges. When loading a save file, characters will default to a happy expression, regardless of the scene. In other words, I do not recommend saving and loading too much. If you were in a sad scene and load into it, the character expressions may not reflect the sad tone.

One benefit to removing sex scenes is that the developer could focus more on animations. There are also a couple of cut-in images, which are rare in the Neko Para mainline series. These small improvements keep the game engaging and enjoyable enough to keep your attention since you aren’t waiting for a sex scene.

VOICE ACTING AND SOUND EFFECTS (SFX)

All characters in the game are voiced, carrying over their previous voice actors. Since this game came out after Nekopara 1, this will likely be the first time you’ve had extended experiences with Maple and Cinnamon. The latter is especially entertaining due to her kawaii goofball personality.

The voice acting is matched well with sound effects. In one scene, the other girls are teasing Cinnamon for having such enormous breasts. They end up swatting her tits with their hands! The sound effect was like a distorted guitar chord, and it was super hilarious! I could already imagine in my mind how they’re being pushed around as Cinnamon giggles.

MUSIC

This is one of only two Nekopara games without a music room. Likely because this title contains no new music tracks, everything is carried over from Nekopara 1. While the music is enjoyable, the lack of new tracks is limiting. A sad piano theme is used in a moment that isn’t actually very sad. While it’s nice to have background noise, it’s never impressive.

HENTAI

Nekopara 0 contains no sex scenes. There is a group bath session, but the mist hides any sexy parts you want to look at.

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CONCLUDING WORDS

Nekopara 0 is a short and simple spin-off prequel to Nekopara 1. The games share identical assets, with the addition of new dialogue and CGs for the occasion. For such a small price, the game is actually well worth the purchase. It made me smile just watching the catgirls relax without a big plotline hanging over them.

Download Neko Para 0. If you liked this game and want to see what comes next, check out our review of Neko Para 1.