Critical Point Review

Contributed by Mike Thomas

Story:
You're specialist Leiji Osumi, a Free Alliance Space Force military intelligence officer. You're sent to lunar base D-2, which has been reporting acts of sabotage. Your assignment is simple; find the saboteur and stop him. This straightforward task becomes tangled in a web on intrigue and deceit. Will you be able to figure out who you can trust and solve the mystery in time, Or will you be the next victim?

Thoughts:
Critical point is a super-solid game. Game designer Will pulled out all the stops in making this game one of the best. I recommend you stop reading this now, and go to the Peach Princess website and purchase a copy of this game. You won’t be disappointed by it.

Writer Kenichi Matsuzaki (of Robotech, Macross, and BubbleGum Crisis fame) creates a very realistic sci-fi world with believable situations. In addition, Matsuzaki seamlessly creates a myriad of possibilities and pathways you can follow to the end. He creates a tense atmosphere that keeps building right up to the end.

Critical Point has 25 unique endings, so you can play this game for days on end, and not get the same ending twice. Some endings are good; you solve the case, but don't follow the path to the true ending. Others endings are bad; while investigating the case the saboteur ends up killing you and destroying the base. I found great satisfaction in the fact that there are good and bad endings. Not only do you have only a few days to get the clues to solve the case, but also there is the distinct possibility that if you're overconfident, or miss clues, you could end up the next dead crewman.

Lastly, there is one true ending. This ending takes a great amount of sleuthing and problem solving. When you achieve the true ending, it gives you a great sense of satisfaction. In short, the story is perfect.

Great graphics back up this perfect story. The attention to detail in the character designs and settings is meticulous. The art keeps the lunar base looking sterile and martial. The various character designs for the crew of the moon base are amongst the best that I’ve seen. Not only that, but you will find at least one of the girls pretty. Whether you like young Reiko, your base liaison, or Elise, a base communications specialist, one of the 10 girls will turn your head.

The seiyuu did a wonderful job of bringing their characters to life. The seiyuu for Carla Benedict sounds like a grizzled officer, while Reiko sounds like someone who has a lot of potential, but is fresh out of boot camp. Peach Princess includes the names of the voice actors in the read me file, and in the credits, if you get the one, true ending. Anyway, the seiyuu, did a great job of getting into the characters roles, and becoming the crew of Lunar Base D-2.

The gameplay for Critical Point is standard adventure game fare. You're presented with a menu of various places you can visit, or ways to answer the other crewmembers questions. The game has 30 save-game slots, so there is plenty of opportunity to back track, if one of the paths you're on ends badly.

The translation of Critical Point by Peach Princess is flawless. I cannot remember one misspelled word; any misused grammar, or misquoted character. In addition to that Peach Princess has kept the translations “in character”. Capt. Lai Wong's text “sounds" as an officer who doesn't take lip from anyone, and is a total bitch. While, Lt. Elise Triad's "sounds” as a new officer unsure of herself, but willing to do what it takes to help out.

The extras in Critical Point are good as well. The game comes with a full-color leaflet, as well as a replica ID badge of the Free Alliance Space Force. The game also has a viewing room of both the pictures you've unlocked and uncovered. Peach Princess also includes a very detailed read me file that contains a bit about the bishoujo game genre, as well as a bit of background about the game.

I definitely recommend Critical Point as a must-buy. It satisfies all the requirements to make it an excellent game. An engrossing storyline, great art, fantastic acting, and solid music make this game recommendable to anyone. One of the few games I've given a full 10 rating too, and it earned it.

In conclusion, Critical Point is a game that would be a great addition to any fan’s library. Highly recommended.

Story: 10
Graphics: 9
Translation: 9
Sound/Music: 9
Voice Acting: 10
Gameplay: 9
Extras: 9
Personal Slant: 10
Overall (the Overall Score is not an average): 10