Viper M1 Review


Contributed by J. Sarunski aka Unicorn

Viper M1

Genre:
This game is a collection of three small games. One of them is a simple multi-path text adventure. The other two games contain sequences where the character walks around on a map. As the character runs into locations where something special happens, each special event usually has an impact on the ending.

Story:
Each of the three games has its own small story; so small, in fact, that it is terribly difficult not to not spoil too much of their stories. However, I'll try:

1.) Green Boy
Three sisters Kazumi, Namiki and Natane run a flowers shop. Does this combination of names sound familiar? Well, the family name is never mentioned in the game, but I bet, it is Tend- eeehm, Bento. One day, a strange customer appears at the flower shop; and instead of buying something, he leaves an even stranger seed behind. The sisters are going to be very surprised about the plant that grows from that seed...

2.) My Mothers
Mika lives together with her grandfather, a crazed scientist. On the same day she has her first date with her dream guy, her grandfather completes his secret project: a power suit for Mika. Because she is going to be late for her important date, Mika just yells at her grandfather for wasting her precious time and leaves him behind crying. But after her date was blown up and captured by a malicious female, the suit might become handy, after all...

3.) The May Works
Maki has to escape from two different monsters from outer space, the giant mecha Kabuto and the slimeball Slamy, because they started a contest in which the one to rape her first will be declared victor. However, in the whole town, there are not very many places to hide...

Gameplay:
All games start as multiple-choice text adventures and Green Boy remains like that all the time.
My Mothers switches during the story to different maps. If the girl encounters an enemy, a multiple-choice-fight takes place. These fights are usually easy to win, but increase a little in difficulty until the end.
The May Works switches to a map (if during the multiple-choice-adventure no mistake was made) and Maki may be guided around on the map to find a place to hide.

Sound:
Only average MIDI-music, but all characters have voice-acting. As an alternative, the MIDI-themes have also CD-DA-Counterparts that sound quite better, but they can only be played during the game, if the game is fully installed onto the HD-drive. However, these themes are only melodies and not songs.

Graphics and Animation:
Not too detailed graphics, but pleasant to see. On the maps, the girls are displayed as cute SD-characters. All pictures of pubic areas are still mosaiced, as in the japanese original.

Almost all the time, the graphics are animated. I suppose, that's the reason why SOGNA calls their games the "Hyper Animation Series".

User Interface:
All the time, the Screen is split in a big upper part that displays the graphics, and a small lower part that displays the current text or the possible choices in the current decision.

From all of the three games, up to 9 positions in total may be saved by using the corresponding functions in the title menu. So, it is possible to overwrite a saved position from one game with another position from another game.

Anytime during the gameplay, any of the previous saved positions could be loaded. However, the saved positions work like bookmarks in an anthology of short stories: If a saved position is loaded, the currently running game is aborted and the game related to the saved position will continue instead.

Example:
If you were currently playing The May Works and would suddenly decide to load a saved position, that has been saved while you were playing Green Boy, you would abandon Maki at her current position in The May Works and just continue with playing Natane in Green Boy from the selected saved position.

Extras:
No galleries, just a jukebox for playing the themes from all the games is available.

My personal opinion:
If it were not for all the nice animations and the cute SD-charas, I would completely advise against this game. However, if someone does not need a complex story but simple fun-entertainment, he might be pleased by this game. The stories are too far-fetched to be taken seriously and they are very short, too. But I have to admit the stories were at least entertaining.

To someone who is interested in Viper -M1- just because of its animations, I would suggest to try Viper -V16- instead. It may be a little bit more expensive, but the difference in money is more than compensated by the difference in quality.