Rapscallions On Deck - Friendship Otome

[i]Rapscallions on Deck - Otome[/i] is an otome visual novel developed and published by ChaniMK. You take on the role of Larsa (whose name can be changed), and you're a high school student performing as a pirate on stage. As you're acting, though, one of the stagelights suddenly falls, hitting you on the head and leaving you unconscious. Next thing you know, you awaken to find yourself on a pirate ship. It turns out that the pirates kidnapped you because they need a new crewmember to mop the decks and none of the pirates want that job. Without any memory of what happened or of her identity, Larsa finds herself in this unusual situation. But who knows? She may be able to make the best of her situation and befriend the pirates, perhaps even fall for one of them. I'll end my story synopsis here to avoid spoilers and all that. As for the gameplay, [i]Rapscallions on Deck[/i] mostly has choices that determine whom Larsa spends time with as well as how close she ends up getting with the pirates. In addition, there's the journal feature, which Larsa can use every night before she goes to sleep (although she can choose to skip using the journal and opt to sleep instead). In the journal, Larsa notes whom she feels the closest bond with, if she wants friendship, or if she wants to regain her memory. Also, as Larsa spends time on the ship, there's a ship deck feature where you can click on a pirate's face to get to know them better (but you can choose to skip this altogether). There are several CGs shown as well as Steam achievements. However, at the time of this review, the achievements won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "Steam is learning about this game". Now that I've gone over the story and gameplay, I'll move onto my critique. [i]Rapscallions on Deck[/i] caught my interest because I like the concept of a female MC finding herself on board a pirate ship. (Also, I have fond memories of another otome that I played a while back.) The store page description doesn't go into details about how Larsa ends up in her situation, so of course, I played through the story and I liked how the story starts off. Also, it explains the whole pirate theme going on. As for the main character, I liked Larsa a lot. She definitely comes off as a tomboy, both in physical appearance and personality, and she's not afraid to tell someone off or stand up for herself. In regards to her pirate crewmates, I liked the cast of characters. They're quirky and can be kind of out there, but they each have their own personality and have their own sweet moments. For example, Milos [spoiler]comes off initially as a peeping Tom, but after he discovers that Larsa is a female, he feels bad and explains to Larsa that his dad taught him never to look at a woman's naked body, so he has some morals[/spoiler]. Of course, there are a few side characters as well whom Larsa and/or her crewmates meet as they travel the seas. Larsa can choose to have romances with these side characters as well as the main romanceable ones (mainly, Milos (the navigator), Otto (the carpenter and doctor), Jun (the gunner), and Kagi (the captain)). However, the romances with the side characters are way shorter and feel more abrupt. As for romances with the main romance options, they feel somewhat more fleshed out, but I felt that there could have been more screen time between Larsa and the guy that she chooses to be with. Basically, as you play through the story, Larsa gets to know the pirates, and it definitely feels natural if you choose to get the friendship ending. However, if you choose to go for a romance ending, then the romance itself doesn't happen until the end of the route, and it feels kind of tacked on. Despite that the romance scenes felt short, they were sweet, and I couldn't help but go "awww" at times. XD (I suppose it also helps that the guys give her a present to show their affection for her.) As for the main story itself, I enjoyed reading through it. I liked getting to follow Larsa and the pirates as they go on their adventures. Regarding the writing, it felt fairly well-paced. It has some action moments as well as some slower moments where Larsa can have the chance to get to know the other characters better. Before I forget, I should note that in regards to dialogue between characters, [spoiler]there are occasional mentions of male genitalia and some crude, dirty humor[/spoiler]. Although this didn't bother me, I thought I'd mention it. I noticed the occasional grammatical errors and whatnot, so I think another proofreading pass would help to polish the writing although I still enjoyed the story. As for the art, it has a simplistic style, especially in regards to the backgrounds. However, the art itself is well done, including the sprites. Colors are used well, and the scenes depict that pirate life on the seas. The CGs were lovely to gaze at although I wish that there would have been a way to look at all of the unlocked ones in the Gallery. (The Gallery only shows ending CGs.) Regarding the music, the tracks are varied, and like the art, they depict that whole feeling of "life on the high seas" and "being a pirate" well. The tracks fit well with the scenes they were placed on. Overall, would I recommend [i]Rapscallions on Deck - Otome[/i]? If you like visual novels, especially otome VNs, don't mind the occasional crude humor, and whatnot, then this is worth taking a look. I enjoyed the story although I feel like the friendship ending is the most fleshed out and natural. I would have wished for more romantic moments with the individual guys. However, for the number of gameplay hours, I feel like this is fine. As for the asking price, it's about worth it, as it took me 4.7 hours to complete all of the endings, using the skip read function for already read text. Of course, you can hold off for a sale, and it's in a Steam bundle. Finally, I want to thank ChaniMK for the curator copy. As I already mentioned, I enjoyed the story as well as getting to know all the guys (pirates and side characters), and I had fun reading it and laughing through all the comedical moments (as well as seeing Larsa's reaction to the guys' antics). ^^ [quote]Flying free and writing reviews solely for [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44702020/]The Introverted Gamer[/url].[/quote]

[h1]Cheap and cheerful[/h1] [h1]Story[/h1] Our MC, Larsa, is a student performing in a high school play when a stage light becomes loose and falls on her. She wakes up to find herself without her memories and aboard a pirate ship with four very friendly but odd shipmates, and informed that she is their new swabbie, and will be remaining so until they reach port. With no memory to refer to in order to argue this information, she accepts her situation and sets about mopping the decks with the hope of becoming friends with her new crew. [h1]Overview[/h1] As otome VNs go, [i]Rapscallions On Deck![/i] successfully steers around the traditional format, with the MC as a girl masquerading as a boy for a large chunk of the earlier proceedings, and four primary male characters who do not fit into the usual tropes for this genre. No. Instead, they are all idiots. Nice idiots perhaps, but certainly idiots, nonetheless. It is as good as impossible to imagine any of them ever being a believable romantic partner. Which, perhaps, is why the romance offered by this game is token, at most, a couple of comments in the very late stages leading to admissions of affection right at the end, but nothing more. The character list also features three additional potential romantic options who appear through circumstance and location of the crew's journey, but their interactions with the MC are all in one block and run from “just met” to “stay with me” in double quick time. [h1]Sound and graphics[/h1] The game's accompanying tunes are upbeat and fit the story and scenes well. This is a solid success. Graphically, considering the price being asked, it again fares fairly well. At first glance, graphics appear quite simple, and while there are not high levels of detail nor many points of interest in the backgrounds, closer inspection shows that there is more to them than might be immediately apparent. Colour choices are good and the whole gives a pleasant, quite relaxed visual experience. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2960936910 Sprites are large and fairly attractive, and have several expressions; although personal preference will have an impact on whether you appreciate them or not. Personally, coloured blocks for eyes is something that grates for me, as seen here: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2960937422 [h1]Other features[/h1] The user interface also comes off positively, with four icons representing a log, in-story menu (one where you can return to where you were without having to save or lose position), fast forward and auto advance. The skip function is fast when replaying for a different ending. From within the menu, you will find full screen or windowed option, a controls list, save and load (save can also be accessed directly by pressing Esc from in-story) and a small gallery containing CGs from each found ending only. You can also change the name of the MC at the beginning of the story, something I found appropriate in allowing me the opportunity to give her a name which could be used for both sexes – aiding the believability of her crewmates thinking she's a young boy. [h1]Experience[/h1] Gameplay is smooth and despite a very small amount of negligible language lapses, appears to be flawless. What lost it for me personally though, is the actual depth of story and the characters themselves. The MC accepts the lie about her being the crew's swabbie without even questioning it; and the story never becomes anything more than “We're on this ship sailing for a while until port”; although some scenes with additional characters do add some meat to the bones. Upon getting the “alternative” ending first (I didn't much want to form a relationship with any of the crew); the ending I was rewarded with made sense in its own right, but then left me wondering if that should, therefore, also apply to all other variations.. and it doesn't. Forgive me for not saying what it is, as it is a major spoiler if you wish to play this yourself. Each of the five primary characters (the MC and crew) have one overriding character trait, and that's it. The MC, for example, makes a point of repeatedly telling us that she's “strong”; the navigator is a peeping Tom, the gunner is obsessed with cannonballs, and so on. There is nothing more to them. For me, the whole narrative is too shallow, both story and participants, and for this reason I found myself simply going through the motions to finish it for review purposes. After starting the game initially, I left it for almost a month before returning and didn't miss it in the slightest. [h1]Verdict[/h1] On a personal basis, I am going to give this a [i]Not recommended[/i]; though this (yet again) can be apportioned more to Steam's rigid Yes/No options than any perceived failings of the product. I'd urge you to weigh this up against the other available (all positive at time of writing) reviews if you are interested, rather than taking my opinion here as the final word. You will probably enjoy this game if: You like light and fluffy narratives – You enjoy fun characters with silly (albeit occasionally risque) humour – You like “alluded to” relationships rather than full-blown romance – You prefer a VN with enough substance to last a couple of solid sittings, but not tie you down for hours upon hours. If the above fits, then for a surprisingly decent amount of content overall, [i]Rapscallions[/i] isn't bad value. But if you want to get immersed, find romance in your otome, and enjoy a deep story with well fleshed out characters, this absolutely isn't the right place to look. [quote] Please follow our curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/4680120/]Otome Lovers[/url], if you'd like to see more reviews like this one! [/quote]

Pros Lots of funny moments Quirky, memorable characters Strong protagonist--> girl power! Ability to customize protagonist's name Cons Short-got every ending in about 3 hours Not much character development/romance Some typos Humor is a bit juvenile at times Some of the endings are unsatisfying Verdict: Despite its flaws, if you're a fan of otome, I recommend giving this game a go. It's a cute, funny, and refreshing take on the genre.

Rapscallions On Deck is a cheerful and merry otome game surrounding the life of a protagonist as she unwittingly ends up cleaning the deck for a very off-kilter and unusual group of pirates! I had a lot of fun playing this game, and the jokes were pretty hilarious. I do wish I could've gotten to know every character even more, however the game's quality is decent and fun. I love the comedy expressions and clapbacks the mc had (she gave me real Gintama Gintoki and Shinpachi vibes at times), actually the poop and balls etc humor was very nostalgic as well. Pros: - The characters are interesting - The various routes in the game add some spice - It is a touching tale of friendship - Side character routes were also interesting - The music was nice, especially the track that played during the night and ghost scenes. - Diary Mode is simple but effective. - Art is friendly and cute, and every character's expressions were a joy to watch - Hilarious comedy. And I am a sucker for the euphemisms as well so this game got me good. - Exploring the boat was FUN Cons: - Wish the routes could have a bit more content...I wish I can learn even more about the characters! - There are not many choices in dialogue. - It's a bit saddening seeing the way women are talked about in some bits, with the mc constantly insisting that she is a strong person and not to be underestimated just because she's a woman, and the way some talk about women like yeah...sometimes it felt like it was taken a bit too far. Timid women are not bad either in my opinion, and though I enjoyed the mc's yelling and strong will, it felt sad that she did not accept help simply because it would make her out to be a 'weak woman'.

Yes, my game time is only 5 min -> So I can leave a review. I received this game on a different website for Single's Awareness Day (Valentine's Day), so thank you! And as I promised, here is my support... And my review from the other website. XD Keep up the good work! :D -----> More of the good stuff! Comedy is the best! ^^ This game was more focused on family/close relations rather than romance... At least it felt like that to me... And I don't mind it. It was heartfelt and heartwarming. But um... Was it me or Ravi's end was... Horror like? It was rather unexpected turn of events... But that was rather interesting. XD I like the humor and all the other parts of the game. Especially the MC's facial expressions... I swear that one of them reminds me of the face they make in "Gintama" (anime/manga)... If that's the reference... KUDOS! I don't do favorites, as each person has something to offer... But! I liked Leif's shy personality mixed with "scare tactics" and the guy's all had nice bodies... @.@ There were no kissing scenes... And that's okay, like I said... It was mostly focused on other things and perhaps later on there would be some tongue action. That said, game made my entire day + night worth it. THANK YOU! :D

Это абсолютно несерьёзная новелла, где есть восемь придурков и обилие тупого юмора. Романтические линии здесь соответствующие. Не всем такое зайдёт. Я тоже не особо любитель подобного. Но постепенно втягиваешься. Игра забавна в своей идиотии. Можно просто расслабиться и поофигевать с персонажей.

This ChaniMK's game has two unique characteristics: MC is a young woman (she goes to high school) and, she is inmersed in an isekai story. The Visual Novel is easy to read, the quality of characters and backgrounds are good enough, and the story is fun. Not every character who can end with our MC is funny enough, but most are cute and funny. My main issue is with the design of the secondary characters, but they do their work. CGs are scarce too, for a game that long. When I first try the game, I was a bit skeptical at the idea because I thought the MC and the other characters have a big age gap, but that is not true. During the Golden Age of Piracy, it was common that boys around 10-14 entered ships, so... when they were around their 20s, they are sailors. The same happens in the Navy: Horatio Nelson became captain of the Royal Navy with 20 years old. So, with info from game, the characters are in a gap between 18 and 25 y-o (as much), while the MC is around 16-17 yo. Differences are not that pronounced. To me, this game is a 6.5 out of 10 points.

The game leans a bit heavy into the comedic aspect and while I know it's not for everybody, I'd like to argue that it adds to the game's charm. It's definitely something fun to play through if you're in the mood for something light. Do recommend.

such a cute game (￣y▽,￣)╭

The story lines were well written and certainly kept me entertained. The only negative thing is some of those expressions creeped me out lol I enjoyed that the achievements offered for the various endings.