Written by Rastafoo69, edited by Otaku Apologist
Nekopara 3, a visual novel developed by NEKO WORKS. Released May 25, 2017. Download on DLSite for $22.00. Free demo available. For PC Windows, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Full Japanese voice acting. Censored genitals. Available in English, Chinese, and Japanese.
Maple has always wanted to be a singer, but doesn’t have the confidence! Her little sister Cinnamon wants to support her, but doesn’t know how. Can you help this duo make their dreams come true?
Want to know more about Nekopara? Read our overview of this adult game series.
STORY
Sadly, this is the weakest entry in the Nekopara series. While the first two games had large elements of uncertainty and unpredictability, this game does not. In Nekopara 1, Chocola and Vanilla were nearly arrested. In Nekopara 2, it almost seemed like Coconut would run away from home. In Nekopara 3, Maple wants to sing.
This game has the most typos in the entire series. Often times “we” and “you” are swapped in translations making for nonsense situations. For example, someone says “How about we wait outside” when they’re asking you to. And your character later says “we don’t” when he should have said “I don’t”. When it comes to personal pronouns, this game is a mess.
Some translation errors might have been intentional, but it’s unclear. The Japanese dialogue shows the characters call their sister “azuki-chan”, but the English subtitles say “Azu-nyan”. It was really weird seeing the subtitles and voice acting mismatch.
Not only is this the game where Shigure loses her pervy jokes, but it’s also missing the cutest character! Milk! She returns in Nekopara 4, but that’s besides the point. Nekopara 3 felt different from the previous games, and the lack of Milk was a huge disappointment.
For anyone who thinks I’m being dramatic, check the sales figures! DLSite, VNDB, and many other sites indicate that Nekopara 3 was the least popular in the series. I suspect that’s because Chocola and Vanilla were neglected even though they’re the fan favorites.
The game is longer than the others, but tends to drag. The dialogue is funny and quotable, but I never cried from sadness. The plot is enjoyable, but the “big sister looking out for little sister” trope was already done in Nekopara 2. This game is silver quality in a series full of gold.
GAMEPLAY
Nekopara 3 is a kinetic novel with all the standard visual novel 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.
Although the emote system is still in use, this game fails to innovate or change things in any meaningful way. Many animations are carried over from previous titles, and often whenever a new animation could have been used, it isn’t. Characters awkwardly fade in and out rather than walk off screen.
While Nekopara 2 added the touch-system, Nekopara 3 adds scene jumping. Simply open the text log and click where you want to go. Then, the story will rewind you back to that point. A wonderful common sense addition to an already fantastic system.
GRAPHICS
The cat-paw mouse cursor is nice, but I would have preferred some actual movements. Maple still has her arms crossed just like in Nekopara 1. And Shigure is still wearing the same outfit even though every other character has changed. After multiple games I was expecting something new, even a minor change! But alas, the developer cut corners.
On the positive side, this game has the most scenes and artworks out of any Nekopara title. This especially applies to SFW imagery. Nekopara was growing more popular as a series, so the developer placed more focus on the SFW artworks. That way, people playing the “all ages edition” could still have a fulfilling experience.
Another positive is the improvement on the opening and ending cinematics of the game. While Nekopara 2 was basically a powerpoint slideshow, a lot more effort and attention to detail went into the cinematics in Nekopara 3.
Like previous titles, Nekopara 3 recycles backgrounds and other assets throughout the game. While this is balanced out by new CGs, it is still worth noting.
VOICE ACTING AND SOUND EFFECTS (SFX)
All voice actors from previous games are in this one. At first I suspected Shigure’s voice actor had changed, but it was actually just a milder delivery.
Maple is voiced by Ishihara Airi while Cinnamon is voiced by Okajima Tae. Both of these women are very skilled, but I prefer Cinnamon’s voice actress simply for the wide range she’s demonstrated. However, Ishihara Airi sang Maple’s version of “Grandfather’s Clock”, so she clearly has a lot of talent.
Sadly, Maple only sings two songs in the entire game. I wish she had a lot more to work with, but that wasn’t the case. And future titles don’t show her singing either. Altogether it felt like a wasted opportunity.
A great use of sound design would have been in-depth practice sessions between Maple and Cinnamon. Instead, they play only one chord and start making out. Again, it felt like a wasted opportunity that could have been used to add auditory variety to the game.
In spite of these flaws, the voice acting itself is still high quality and engaging enough to make up for any missteps.
MUSIC
There are 19 tracks in total. The opening and ending cinematics have some absolutely fantastic music tracks that feel super nostalgic even during a first-time playthrough. And the track Nyakoichi always makes me think of this game and the accomplishments of Maple and Cinnamon.
There were so many choices I absolutely loved. Giving Maple the spotlight to sing, implementing more electric guitar into the soundtrack, cutting to silence before big moments, every choice the developer made felt perfect!
HENTAI
There are five scenes total, available only in the NSFW version of the game. One scene features Chocola and Vanilla. Another scene features Azuki and Coconut. The last three scenes focus on Cinnamon and Maple.
Basically, there are three reasons why some people enjoy the hentai and some shrug it off. First, one of the scenes is pure lesbian 69 sex between Cinnamon and Maple. Second, Chocola and Vanilla are twins but they make out. Third, Azuki has the same sex position as the previous game, which feels like the developer was cutting corners to reuse the animations.
Personally, I was disappointed. All of a sudden we learn that Cinnamon and Maple would make out together as kittens and it all seems very weird. They used to be best friends, but now they’ve become bisexual lovers. I played through three games thinking I knew them, only for a lesbian subplot to be shoved in without warning. It almost felt like the developer didn’t care for it either, because this plot point is rarely referenced again.
CONCLUDING WORDS
Nekopara 3 is a decent hentai visual novel with saucy visuals and stellar voice acting. It has some of the best music in the entire series. The characters are still enjoyable, but the lack of innovation makes this game feel nearly identical to past titles. Still, it’s worth a play just to fuck all the cum hungry cat bitches..
Download Nekopara 3. If you enjoyed this game other catgirls, then check out our review of Nekopara 2.
