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The Wheel of Fortune
Developer: Takujin soft.
Publisher: Takujin soft.
[b]Pros:[/b]
[b]1.[/b] On the store page, it says it's a parody and that is correct. It's a satire basing itself on a near 30 year old virgin who still lives with his parents, is outclassed by his successful younger brother, having arguments on the internet, looking at anime tits, and with an extensive backlog of visual novels. The great thing about this is that it's self aware while being a good blend of humor and maintaining its identity. It doesn't deviate from its story nor does it overwhelm you with a barrage of jokes, it does it just right.
The story itself is as stated above, but you get some luck as you get to meet your favorite music artist which results in getting hooked up with a small one time job, which then ends you up in a resort with 3 lovely girls; Aya, Miki, and Niko. How your luck goes and what you do is all up to you whether you stay in your sorry lifestyle or make some immediate changes. This visual novel is not called "The Wheel of Fortune" for nothing, it actually does use a wheel of fortune, determining your luck. Getting poor luck makes the day not go as planned and with high luck, your day goes well. Sometimes it's not all about the choices you make, and you have to keep that in mind.
[b]2.[/b] Some of the characters are forgettable such as J-kun, K-man, and Dad; but most of the characters work well and I found to be quite charming in a way. Aya is your standard large busted beauty, a bit of an airhead and maybe of a romantic herself, seems like the type of girl to have her life figured out. Miki is that one girl most of us desire, that gamer girl who shares a lot of the same interests as we do, definitely someone to get along with easily. There's Niko, a stereotypical representation of a tsundere, it can be annoying but even the game is aware of that and it works in its favor. There is your mother, is who extremely annoying and gets on your nerves every minute, this sounds like a negative thing, but it too works for the story's favor, mainly in Niko's route. Dodo is K-man's cousin and honestly was an entertaining individual, with his hyperactivity and ambitions, but with the technological knowledge of a potato, he was a fun character to witness in the short amount of time we saw him. Lastly, there is you. You are pathetic, but not dense. You have had so much bad luck that you've become used to it. These characters were fun to see and all had their unique scenes for us to get to know them more or leave an impact on the story.
[b]3.[/b] I don't see this frequently, but for a story to rely on the luck you get is definitely a unique thing. At first, I thought it was just a scripted event, but in multiple playthroughs, it was actually a necessary tool. [spoiler] Say on the day you use the claw machine, you got a Terrible luck result on your wheel, you'd obviously lose that claw machine event. If you were to get an Excellent result on the wheel, you'd win most of the prizes and earn respect from each girl. [/spoiler] This also becomes absolutely necessary if you want to get the Balkan end, or if you're just lucky.
[b]4.[/b] The art for the girl sprites and CGs are cute in their own alluring way, with R18 CG scenes by DreadfulEnchanted being pleasantly tasteful featuring different events and positions.
[b]5.[/b] The music was surprising to me, in the description it says that it is sampled from Yugoslavian folk music for the BGM and I have to say, it does work extremely well. It fits in well with the setting AND does a great job at making the scenes they are placed in much more emotional such as the "Confusion" track playing when you accidentally peep on someone changing or showering, or even just the every day life at the resort. The music during the sex scenes is kind of cheesy but it does the job in being a sensual track that helps a moment of bonding. I also enjoy that you can play the music in the main menu but also supplies you links to the original songs sampled via Youtube Music.
[b]Cons:[/b]
[b]1.[/b] The pacing does feel a bit quick as at best your interaction with Aya and Miki are about 4 days (counting prologue) and Niko about 3 days if you don't go her route. Is it enough time to get to know the girls well? Miki, most likely. Aya, maybe if you're lucky and make right choices. Niko's character gets deeper when you go her route, but doesn't evoke enough intention to actually want to start something with her, even though I do like her character.
[b] 2.[/b] You, the protagonist and mother can be the most annoying characters in the entire game, aside from maybe Niko. The protagonist is super pathetic, even though it does become utilized for the story, it does take some getting used to. The same goes for mother, she can be extremely demanding and aggravating, but this also works for the story's favor in Niko's route, it also takes some getting used to. J-kun, K-man, and Dad's characters also support the story in some way, but they essentially don't possess much of a personality and can become forgettable in the long run.
[b]3.[/b] The wheel of fortune feature is pretty neat I must say, but if you want a good end and your luck is god awful, you gotta work for it. As the game says, you can try as many times as you want, and that is what you do, save scum and repeat for that Excellent. It does become kind of a chore.
[b]Conclusion:[/b]
The Wheel of Fortune is honestly an entertaining and funny adult VN that is a parody of the desperate weeaboo nearing 30 stereotype. It handles it well and knows when to pull or throw its comedic punches at you.
[b]Score:[/b] 7/10 GOOD
