Love Hina Advance

"Much too short!"

As a newly converted Love Hina fan, I just had to find this game...well, emulated anyway. Despite the fact that this game was never released in the U.S., this problem is solved by the fact that a English patch was made for this game, thus making it playable to us gaijins.

Well...and so I play...somewhat disappointed.

Graphics - 9/10
Gorgeous screens here and there. A lot of the screens are taken straight out of the anime. While the number of actual animation is somewhat limited, being that most of the time you're either looking at a picture of a girl or seeing Keitaro getting his ass handed down to him, it's still very pretty and colorful. Plus, the opening theme for the Love Hina anime plays at the start of the game, capturing the fun mood of the series.

Sound - 6/10
The music is entertaining, some of it, I believe, taken from the anime series, particularly the opening theme at the start. Sound effects are limited though, mostly just a punch at Keitaro, but there are a limited number of actual voices of the girls.

Gameplay - 3/10
Unfortunately, gameplay is very limited. For the most part, the story plays out almost exactly like the anime. Almost all the time though, you will be given a choice to say something, with a limited amount of time to select that choice. What you choose affects the way the girls like you. A ''heart bar'' in the left side of the screen indicates how much that particular girl likes you, and your choices will either add, subtract, or not add to the ''heart bar''. Of course, this isn't the only bar you have to watch out for, as Keitaro has a health bar too, which you have to watch out for, since it goes down every time Keitaro is beaten up by one of the girls. This does recharge too at the end of the day, when Keitaro goes for a bath and the option to save your game pops up.
It's all a nice concept, and would have played out well, if the game wasn't for two things - a little too linear and too short. Most of the time, it plays out more like a ''interactive storybook''. The conversation choices, along with the occasional part where Keitaro gets to walk around the Hinata Inn to talk to a girl, are the only chances you get to actually make a choice in the game. It would've been nice if there was more to do than this.
Finally, the killing blow to making this game a really good one is just how short it is. At most, it'll probably take you only an hour or so until the game ends in either one of the nine possible endings. I've played hentai games that had more replayability and length than this. The least they could've done is add a ''CG Section'', where you get to see all the screens you've seen in your game. But, all you get is a lousy ''Pictures'' option that only lets you see that 9 of the last screens you get at the 9 ending, plus an otherwise useless ''Replay'' option that replays your game. Although the nine possible endings add to the replayability of the game, in the end, you can't just help but think that this was all less of an actual game and more of a gimmick designed as a quick(and very short) fix for Love Hina fanboys.

Buy or Emulate?
Emulate. Renting isn't an option, since this was never released here in the West. Even after getting it, you won't really feel that great after playing this game.

Overall - 5/10
If I played this game before ever knowing what Love Hina was all about, I'd have given this a 2/10 only. My sweet, beautiful Motoko is the only reason I've given this a 5. Unless you're the Ultimate Love Hina fanboy, don't waste your money buying this game. Instead, buy more Anime DVDs, or the much, much more satisfying Love Hina manga instead.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/28/03, Updated 07/28/03