B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA: Dive into the Idol World | Review – Gifted

Game: B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA
Developer/Publisher: MAGES. Inc. & PQube
Platforms: Nintendo Switch & Steam
Release Date: 15th July 2024

Author’s Note: A Game Key for B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA on Nintendo Switch was kindly provided by PQube

Have you ever wondered what it’s like working with Idols? Maybe what it’s like working in an Artist & Repertoire role? Or perhaps you just love boy bands? Whatever the answer is, then this exciting and intriguing new visual novel from MAGES. Inc. and PQube might be just what you are looking for!

B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA, is part of the hugely popular cross-media franchise, B-PROJECT. Spanning various media styles, including Manga, music and of course video games to name a few. Now, for the first time in 2024, you’ll be able to experience the magic on both Nintendo Switch and Steam!

About B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA

Put your headphones on and get swept away with this colourful, idol, visual novel experience.

Do you love boy bands or JPop? Have you ever dreamed of being the driving force behind a successful idol group? Well now you can experience it in visual novel form!

Step into the hard-working role of A&R (Artist & Repertoire) to the talented idol group, B-Project. Take 14 young members under your wing, each with different personalities and struggles. It’s your job to support them, help them grow, and allow them to flourish!

Discover the beginnings of the different idol groups – Kitakore, MooNs, THRIVE and KiLLER KiNG. Learn about their trainee days and the struggles they faced on the path to success. Follow the story as they join together to become one group, B-Project, and stand on Japan’s brightest stage. – via B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA via MAGES. Inc.

You can also check out the mystical new trailer for the game here.

Introducing the Idols

As previously mentioned, the B-Project is a cross-media franchise and is made up of fourteen different idols from four different idol groups.

Kitakore: Kitakado Tomoshia and Korekuni Ryuji
KiLLER KiNG: Fudo Akane, Shingari Miroku, Teramitsu Haruhi & Termitsu Yuduki
MooNs: Masunaga Kazuna, Nome Tatsuhiro, Onzai Momotaro, Osari Hikaru, & Sekimura Mikado
THRIVE: Aizome Kento, Ashu Yuta, & Kaneshiro Goshi

B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA Review

This is the first time I’ve ever played a visual novel game or dived into the world of B-Project. For me, it all started when I saw an advert promoting B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA online a few months ago. I hadn’t heard of it before and, likewise, knew nothing other than what I had seen in a trailer. From that point, I kept an eye on the game, eagerly waiting to find out more. Needless to say, I’m incredibly grateful to be able to have a first look at the game and share some of my initial spoiler-free impressions in this review.

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m going into this experience completely blind and with no prior idea as to what to expect. So, let’s dive into the world of the Japanese Idol group, B-PROJECT!

Getting Started

Upon loading the game for the very first time, you’re greeted with a cutscene that helps introduce the player to the story. It gives you enough information to give you an understanding of what has happened so far, but also leaves you thinking and wanting to get stuck in.

You are then presented with a screen that explains the controls for the game. These are easy to follow and self-explanatory.

Now, this is where the story truly starts. You play as Sumisora, who has landed herself a new role as the Artist and Repertoire for B-PROJECT. However, she is completely new to this aspect of the music industry. Her job is to manage every aspect of B-PROJECT. Yes, everything that relates to all fourteen idols in the group.

You might be thinking, well, how does Sumisora manage this? That’s a lot of responsibility for just one person. Two idols from Kitakore, four from KiLLER KiNG, five from MooNs and finally three idols from THRIVE. Fourteen idols in total is a lot when you think about group schedules as well as individual schedules for each idol.

Needless to say, I had a lot of questions about how it would be possible. However, the only way for me to find out was to keep making my way through the story.

The Story Begins

You begin to meet each of the idols, one by one, in the opening moments of B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA. Interacting with each of them, either on their own or alongside others from their individual groups, you begin to get a feel for each idol’s character and personality.

Along the way, you’ll also be introduced to a handful of other characters who play a part in the record label that is home to B-PROJECT and their subsequent groups.

Regardless of who it is you interact with, you not only get an idea as to what each person you meet is like, but it also helps build a story. A story that explains future hopes and dreams but also explains the journey that has been taken to get to where Sumisora and the idols are today. Even though it is still relatively early on in the game, you can start to feel the connections and emotions between each of the different characters.

It will be interesting to see just how this journey between Sumisora and the idols of B-PROJECT continues as I progress through the visual novel.

Initial Thoughts

So far, my time with B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA has been positive. I went into the game open-minded, as I’m a complete newbie to the visual novel genre and of course B-PROJECT as a whole. It does seem scary to think you’ll be going on a journey with fourteen other idols, but at the same time it’s incredibly exciting. You know that, playing as Sumisora, you want to see them achieve their hopes and dreams as a collective group. Yet, at the same time, you know it’s not necessarily going to be a straightforward journey and that’s okay. You’ll be there every step of the way. Since Sumisora appears to be a character with many talents, passion and ideas, it feels that in a way, you’ll be prepared for any challenge that may occur.

I do feel that at this early stage in the game, I’m struggling to remember the names of characters and which group they come from. I’m sure over time it will become easier, especially when you get to spend time with each of the characters individually a bit more within the story.

There are a couple of characters that I feel as Sumisora, I’ll have more of a connection to but again, I’m waiting to see how the story plays out further.

Overall Thoughts

As I mentioned at the start of this post, this is the first time I’ve ever played a visual novel game. B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA truly is a game that seems special. At every level of the game, be it the design, the writing or the voice acting, there is just something about this game that just clicks and makes for an interesting experience that keeps pulling me in more.

For the most part, my experience hasn’t been hindered by any major issues. There’s been one or two moments where some of the character movements haven’t seemed to be as smooth as possibly intended, but it doesn’t cause any major distractions.

The game plays with the Japanese voice track but accompanied the English text. This can be changed if wished via the Config menu. Additionally, you can make changes to the individual characters voices in the same menu. This is accessed through the menu apps on the player’s mobile phone.

The mobile phone is packed full of useful applications alongside the Config menu. You’ll also find apps to Save and Load the game (although there is also an auto quick save function in game), a manual and the backlog to name a few more available apps at the start of the game.

For being my first visual novel of this nature, I found that the format easy to follow. There have been a few occasions where the text will become smaller in the text box as there’s a lot of information being shared. It can be slightly difficult to read, and found myself going back over it a few times to ensure I didn’t miss anything important.

Since I have been playing through the game on Nintendo Switch, when it comes to performance, the console handles the game well with no apparent issues.

Overall, I can certainly say this felt like the best introduction to the world of visual novel games! I’m certainly looking to exploring the rest of the game and even branching out into the genre more in the future!

So, if you are looking for an upcoming and exciting visual novel game to play that includes following the lives and career of the charming B-PROJECT idols. Where you can discover what it means to play a crucial role in the music industry as an Artist and Repertoire. Get to know fourteen different idols, through interactive in-game features such as your mobile phone, as well as seeing the same idols brought to life through each character’s voice acting and animations, then this may just be the game for you. Did I mention there are also two different ending possibilities?

B-PROJECT RYUSEI*FANTASIA is full of endless magic and launches on both Steam and Nintendo Switch on 15th July 2024! In the meantime, why not check out the free demo for the game on Steam?

Thank you again to both MAGES. Inc. and PQube for the opportunity to explore the world of B-PROJECT!