This article introduces "Oshibana Monogatari," a simulation game created with RPG Maker VX Ace.
This game is excellent in both its authentic simulation gameplay and its moving storyline.
I think the first time I played this genre of simulation game was when I was in middle school, playing "Tokimeki Memorial" on the PlayStation.
Looking back, I was deeply moved to realize that the basic framework of simulation games was already complete back then.
The original "Tokimeki Memorial" was a busy but fun game where you had to keep track of event schedules, raise your own stats, and increase the affection level of your target girl.
I believe that even those who enjoy hardcore育成 simulation games will find this game, "Oshibana Monogatari," satisfying.
Playing casually, my first playthrough took 5 hours, while the playthrough where I used a walkthrough to see the story ending took about 3 hours (on very easy mode).
There are many common parts other than the ending, but since event skipping is unlocked from the second playthrough onwards, I think the gameplay will be comfortable (ver5.0b).
Game Overview
In this game, "The Story of Pressed Flowers," you control Lucahi Nokuu, a tutor, as you raise Morris, a girl from the poor class, into a potential bride for the prince.
Lukahi, who was originally the kingdom's top flower mayor (responsible for raising princesses), has been reduced to the poor class due to a certain incident.
Then, Stalweb, a soldier from a poor background, comes to Lukahi and asks him to raise his sister, Morris, to become a princess candidate.
The highlight of the story is the human drama unfolding between Morris, who wants to be useful as a tool for his brother's advancement, Lukahi, who tries to regain his pride as Flower Mayor, and the people around them.
The main story of the game begins in January with the character development phase and concludes around Christmas in December.
By the end of the game, a total of nine "Flower Tests" will be held to weed out the princess candidates.
The ending branches depending on how you nurture your character to achieve good results in these exams and how you deepen your relationships with the other characters.
The skills required for each test can be clearly identified during the game.
The test will require a forward-thinking, planned approach to how you nurture Morris before the exam date.
Since you can select the difficulty level at the start of the game, it's a good idea to choose a difficulty level that suits your playing style.
Since character development progresses on a daily basis, even advancing through a month involves a considerable amount of work.
Activities that improve your abilities, such as exercise and studying, require money.
Morris's brother sends him money every month, but if he doesn't use it wisely, it'll be gone in no time.
Furthermore, since certain abilities may actually decline as a result of training, it is necessary to be mindful of what is required in the most recent exams when training.
Not only Morris, but also Lukahi, who will be his educator, is important.
If Lucahi's leadership skills are not strong, Morris's ability to improve will also be slower.
In any case, let's focus on a long-term development plan.
On Saturdays, you can choose from a variety of special actions, including not only actions to improve your abilities, but also actions such as meeting male characters.
This is a good day to take various actions, such as recovering from fatigue accumulated during the week or working on compensating for any sagging skill development.
Sundays are often the day of the week when exams, events, and story progression occur.
Sunday nights are also the time to choose Lukahi's actions on a weekly basis, so think carefully before you make your choice.
We'll continue building up the story week by week in this way.
While there are special events that are triggered depending on the level of affection the player has for the male character, the main storyline is a single, linear narrative.
The ending branches into many different paths depending on various conditions that are met.
The "instruction manual" included with the gameOfficial websiteThis contains strategy information and hints.
If you find it difficult, I recommend you don't hesitate to refer to it.
Review (no spoilers)
On my second playthrough, I was able to clear the game with the most difficult story ending.
I appreciate that once you've cleared the game, there are features to make it easier to replay, such as event skipping and fast-forwarding.
The training simulation part will likely be quite challenging until you get the hang of it.
You will have difficulty proceeding unless you read the "Instruction Manual" and understand the meaning of each parameter and command.
The story itself was incredibly moving, like reading a novel.
I think it perfectly captures the heavy atmosphere of a world where social status is everything, and the strength of the people who desperately try to survive in such a world.
The retro-style graphics also match the atmosphere of the work, giving it the feel of a fairy tale.
The event makes generous use of illustrations, dramatically enhancing the story.
The story part alone is thoroughly enjoyable, so I would definitely recommend it to people who "don't like games but want to read a story."
However, even if you choose Very Easy mode, it will be difficult to reach the story ending (the true ending, so to speak) on your first playthrough by simply playing by trial and error.
If you want to see the story ending in a single playthrough, it's best to proceed while carefully consulting a walkthrough page.
Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)
In this game, a walkthrough is available on the official website.
I think you'll need a meticulous plan to see the story ending in Normal mode.
I played on Very Easy mode, but I'd like to share some helpful tips for both modes that you should keep in mind.
The hardest stat to raise is popularity.
While you don't need to worry too much about this stat in the early stages, there are limited ways to increase your popularity.
Therefore, if you have free time on your days off, I think it's a safe bet to go to the plaza and boost your popularity.
Since it's difficult to raise the numbers all at once, I think it's important to steadily increase them from the beginning.
- Do not use weekday breaks.
Using the rest command on weekdays will decrease various abilities.
Therefore, to restore HP on weekdays, use red potions.
To recover from fatigue, use your freedom to do so.
It also increases their favorability, so I think it's an efficient approach.
However, when your schedule is packed, it's also necessary to use blue potions to recover from fatigue and focus on improving your abilities.
Furthermore, taking breaks on holidays is safe as it does not impair performance.
- When we have no money and have free time, we just chat and laugh.
Commands that increase abilities on weekdays generally decrease affection.
When the level of affection drops below 30, there's also the possibility of experiencing loneliness and sadness.
Since you can never have too much goodwill, even when you're short on money, use conversation to build up your "goodwill" reserves.
Conversely, if you have extra money, you can give stuffed animals as gifts to increase their affection, allowing you to focus on improving their abilities.
It is important to anticipate Lukahi's actions.
To improve Morris's abilities, it is essential that Lucahi's leadership skills also improve.
It's important to anticipate what ability Morris will want to raise next and have Lukahi act accordingly.
For example, if the most recent competition is a physical fitness test and the next one is an intellectual test, it's important to have Lukahi study in advance.
I feel it's a bit of a waste to have Morris and Lukahi acting in the same way at the same time.
Review (contains spoilers)
I've only seen the story ending and the princess ending, but the main story really touched my heart.
The first Princess Ending I saw involved the princess marrying the eighth prince, who doesn't appear at all in the story, thus achieving her original goal.
It seems that both Stalweb and Morris ended up in a situation where they couldn't be honest with each other.
However, this doesn't give the impression of being a bad ending.
The fact that Morris, despite taking the uncharacteristic action of helping young Hugo—an action unbecoming of a princess candidate—becomes the reason she is chosen by the prince, felt like an affirmation of Morris's true self, and gave me a sense of a bright future.
It may be lonely not being able to be with Stalweb, but I think it wouldn't be so bad if you could be with this prince.
At the end of the story, I got the impression that he and Starweb had come together and settled into their rightful place.
The feelings between the two of them gave me a stronger impression of familial or sibling love than romantic love, so I felt a little uncomfortable with them being united as husband and wife.
However, upon further reflection, both Starweb and Morris give off a childlike impression, and I reconsidered whether their immature form of love was actually unnatural.
Perhaps due to the style of the illustrations and the way she speaks, I had a strong impression that Ms. Lukahi was an older woman.
However, judging from the content of the conversation with Hugo, it seems certain that he is in his twenties.
Ultimately, her relationship with Morris felt like that of a mother and daughter, which made her appear older and more mature (no offense).
She said she's never had a boyfriend before, but I hope that the two of them will get together, just as Hugo hoped.
At the start of the game, I think Lukahi is beginning to have some doubts about whether he was wrong, due to the incident where Laraloo escaped.
However, he hadn't yet reached the point of negating his previous status as the kingdom's top flower mayor.
Afterward, his encounters with Morris and the old woman likely changed his values, which in turn led to a transformation in Lukahi himself.
I think that when he pushed Morris forward and sent him off to Stalweb at the end of the story, he had been reborn as a new Lukahi.
The scene where it's revealed that the package delivered to Lukahi's house was a gift from his former students brought tears to my eyes.
I'm glad that they affirmed that what Lukahi had done as Flower Mayor up until now wasn't necessarily wrong.
I'd like to believe that for Laralou and Morris, it was simply better to let her blossom as a flower rather than become a princess as a pressed flower.
This work essentially doesn't have any truly evil characters, which ironically makes it even more emotionally difficult to watch.
If there's a villain you want to hate, all you have to do is hate that person.
However, in this work, even if a character acts maliciously, you can't help but think that it's unavoidable considering the world and the character's background.
Even Starweb and Morris, who can't be honest with themselves, have their own reasons and circumstances that necessitate them behaving that way.
That's why, even though I want everyone to be happy, I feel frustrated while playing because I can't seem to find a simple solution.
This game is a simulation game, not a visual novel.
While there is a pre-planned ending for the story, I believe that any conclusion is a valid ending in its own right.
The download page describes it as a "raising simulation game where you choose your destiny."
Therefore, I believe the true ending of this game is whatever choice the player feels is best.
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