Written by Rastafoo69, edited by OtakuApologist
Primal Sphere, a hentai RPG developed by Anmitsuya. Released August 17, 2018. Download on DLSite for $16.00. For PC Windows. No voice acting. Censored genitals.
Sylvia has joined the adventurer’s guild! Help people in need and defeat the God of Destruction before he revives!
STORY
Sylvia was born into a family of aristocrats. As a noble, it is her job to help the commonfolk. It’s time for virgin Sylvia to make her mark on the world! You progress the story via 21 episodic quests with minimal plotlines: A nun gets lost on a cursed island, a fisherwoman is kidnapped by sea monsters, a pirate girl is attacked while exploring. The formula is simple.
There are many plot points and ideas the developer wanted to explain but never managed. For example, your father is named Simon Lacroix, but this has no significance on the story. Another example is “The God of Destruction” and his race of demons. Their background is never explored but this “God” is beaten pretty easily by Sylvia and her friends. The most glaring example is how the game starts with a thorough explanation on elemental weaknesses, but this system is never utilized in the game. You hear about a demon war and the troubled race relations between humans and demons, but it never goes anywhere. This is in stark contrast with the developer’s previous title, Little Braver, which featured a more complete world.
There are four endings in total, determined entirely by your sexual experiences. In the virgin ending, Sylvia is deflowered during futanari lesbian sex at the request of a floating magical being. The game feels like one long shitpost.
GAMEPLAY
Primal Sphere was created in RPG Maker MV. The previous game, Little Braver, was created in RPG Maker VX Ace. Consequently, Primal Sphere does not have any new features because the developer recreated the old ones for this new engine. A lot of features like fishing, mining, STDs, odd jobs, status boosting conditions, capture and resistance values all come from Little Braver. In many ways, this feels like a beta test rather than a full experience.
Move with the mouse or arrow keys. Press CTRL to hide the text box. Hold Enter to speed through dialogue. There are five difficulty modes, but they only affect enemy level rather than AI. The difficulty can be changed at any time from the menu. I completed the game in 8 hours during my initial playthrough, reaching level 30, but the game has at least 15 hours of content.
The episodic content of this game allows for easy pickup and play. I never felt addicted or enticed to continue. Money is super easy to gain. The game feels too safe.
GRAPHICS
The art is classic Japanese anime style. Anmitsuya’s artist has a style that never changes. This makes all the artwork look similar even if they were released years in-between. Some artwork looks like they were lifted from Little Braver, rotated 90 degrees, and then edited slightly. Even worse, all characters appear virtually identical except for hair color and clothing. Battles in the game are icon encounters, but due to the engine change, the sprites are all ugly and small. The game uses recolors of stock assets. Everything about this game feels formulaic and lacking in passion.
Sylvia has 8 costumes and 10 hair-pins. Your character sprite changes to reflect your outfit. The default outfit is the strongest, so dressing otherwise gives you a handicap. Damage in battle will slowly destroy your clothing, lowering your defense stat.
VOICE ACTING AND SOUND EFFECTS (SFX)
Primal Sphere has no voice acting.
Sound effects are stock assets carried over from previous titles. They mostly play during battle or special events like showering. Don’t expect a creative use of sound design.
MUSIC
There are 63 tracks in total with only a handful used. The main menu track is goofy and flamboyant, instantly undermining expectations for this RPG adventure. The music makes it clear this game should be viewed as a pickup and play, forgettable experience.
Music in the game quickly becomes repetitive. I was six hours into the game and I still couldn’t find new or unique music that would create tension or emotion. During the ending, the game plays the same background tracks you’ve heard throughout.
HENTAI
There are 111 scenes in total but only 50 unique CG. I’m highly suspicious the artist simply reused art from previous games with slight variations. While some sites tag this game as NTR, it isn’t true. Sylvia fucks men who are already taken.
The Recollection room contains tips on how to find all the sex scenes but you’ll manage fine without them. Losing a battle or making bad choices like drinking alcohol will get you fucked in no time.
Fetishes include petrification, monster sex, prostitution, and more. Even if you play as a virgin, you’ll still be forced into multiple sexual encounters like footjobs. This is frustrating because you never consent to these choices. The lack of tension or buildup holds this game back from greatness. While you do sex stats, there’s no real point in raising them. Sylvia retains the same cheery demeanor regardless.
CONCLUDING WORDS
Primal Sphere is a generic hentai game with tons of content. With over 100 scenes and 21 unique missions, players will have loads to do before the finale. Be warned though that this game is light on the story and pretty forgettable overall.
If the artwork gives you a boner, play this game. Download Primal Sphere.
Overall
-
Graphics
-
Gameplay
-
Story
-
Music
-
SFX
-
Hentai
