Wondergirl! Nekoashi Otome Review

Wondergirl! Nekoashi Otome (also known as Kaiketsu! Nekoashi Otome-chan), is the eighth entry in the Towelket series and is considered the first "spin-off" game. It was released on December 24th, 2010. As for what a spin-off means in this context, it's basically any Towelket game that isn't released under the "Towelket" title. Other than that, there isn't much that distinguishes these games from the original series.

Our story begins with the titular main character, Nekoashi Otome, on her way to join the Special Kitty Forces, AKA the military in this universe. But there's just one small problem. She's only eight years old. Of course, that doesn't stop her, as she is determined to join the military in order to fulfill her dream of opening her own bakery. During her time there, an opposing force calling itself "Maiden Bomb" appears in the sky and outlines their plans to take over the Earth...using the power of their cuteness.

Similar to Gaugau's Bride, Nekoashi Otome takes a more comedic approach to its plot, with a plethora of jokes being thrown at the player from the moment the game begins. However, unlike Gaugau's Bride, this game handles this approach much better and I found myself genuinely laughing for a good portion of its runtime. The comedy in Nekoashi Otome is often quick and spits out enough bizarre lines/scenarios that you're bound to laugh at something. And even though there is a much greater focus on comedy compared to the previous games, the game's humor never gets in the way of being able to tell a genuine story.

I think what really makes Nekoashi Otome work as a game is simply how "solid" its world feels. Yes, there is a lot of humor and jokes told throughout the game, but it never feels like those jokes are being told at the expense of being able to take the actual story and characters seriously. The game isn't constantly winking and nudging at you, rolling its eyes at how ridiculous it is. This is a game about aliens who want to take over the world by becoming idols. We already know how silly it is, and we don't need to be told that. Jokes aren't something that's told in a vacuum, completely unrelated to the setting. It's just that this game introduces us to a very goofy and fantastical world very early on, and trusts us as viewers to quickly understand that without having to constantly emphasize how ridiculous it all is. The game's humor is just hard baked into its world, and I think that's what makes its balance of funny and serious moments really work. It never feels jarring or like the tone of the story has suddenly been turned on its head for the sake of the plot. It all flows together and progresses in a way that makes sense for the setting.

The cast is also very solid this time around. They all have their jokes, but it very rarely felt like any of them were just there for a specific gag, which I feel is a very common occurrence in these types of games. The only exception to this is this one character who shows up a little later in the story. If there's any joke that takes place in a weird, isolated vacuum, it's this character, as all of her lines are relegated to a single gag that's only acknowledged once or twice by other characters. Thankfully, she just barely crosses over the line of completely overstaying her welcome in the story. Other than that, what I really appreciated was how well this cast felt connected to the setting. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, other than that sometimes a character would casually mention another character we haven't met yet, and lo and behold, a few chapters later we'd finally be introduced to them with a good understanding of their relation to other characters and how they fit into the story, instead of the usual "yeah, this character exists purely to fulfill this specific role and that's it" kind of introduction an alarming amount of stories pull.

As always, the gameplay is standard fare, and there's not much to note in that regard. However, one very small but nice touch is that you'll eventually unlock a "Skits" option in your menu. These skits can be collected throughout the maps as you play the game and you'll be able to instantly recognize them by their distinctive purple "click" button. Personally, I didn't find many of them particularly funny, at least compared to everything else, but they're just a cool bit of extra content that I can really appreciate in a game like this.

All in all, Wondergirl! Nekoashi Otome is a very charming and entertaining game that I think many can enjoy, as long as they can get behind the game's raunchy and absurd style of humor. That's not to say that's all the game has to offer, but I could honestly see how someone who just generally doesn't care for that kind of humor might not be able to stomach this game for very long, despite the other aspects of it being well written. This game is very much the entirety of the Towelket series, but on Crack™, with the author's writing style being an acquired taste in itself. But as a whole, I find this game to be one of the better games in the series. Everything about it just works. Sure, it's not super deep, but it doesn't need to be. It perfects exactly what it's trying to do and it's just a very solid and enjoyable game overall.

To me, Nekoashi Otome has always felt like a celebration of the Towelket series up to this point. It's not ashamed of what it is, it revels in itself and what makes Towelket as a whole so enjoyable. Even though this is technically the first spin-off, I still feel like this is the game that gives the original series one last "bang" before the author's usual writing style shifts into a slightly different direction for the next few games. But that's something I'll get into in the next review.

If you're a fan of the Towelket series up to this point, I can definitely say that you'll have a good time with this game. Even if you're not a fan, if you feel that the humor of this game is right up your alley, then I implore you to give it a chance, as it has a lot more to offer than what initially meets the eye.

I rate this game 5/5 Towels