Love Hina Advance: Shukufuku no Kane wa Harukana

"Only for fans of the series"

This game, for people who don't already know, is based on the anime "Love Hina", which stars Keitaro Urashima and his adventures as manager of an all girls inn. The anime itself was based on the manga.

Love Hina Advance is a dating sim, in which you are put into certain situations and choose the option you'd like, which either raises or lowers your relationship/health. Eventually, you'll have the option to pick a girl and attempt to get together with them. The bad thing is, unless you're going the illegal route, it's only in japanese.

-GRAPHICS (8/10): The graphics are taken straight from the anime, which is pretty good. However, for those rare times that they aren't, the graphics are quite dull and their bodies are disproportionate.

-SOUND (4/10): Sound is one thing this game lacks. The amount of sounds are quite limited, as is the music. There are voice samples for each of the characters, taken directly from the anime, but they are extremely limited. The music is quite catchy though, during the first couple plays.

-GAMEPLAY (5/10): Another lacking category. Most of the game is divided into episodes, each of which correspond to an episode of the anime. And during these "episodes", you are limited to watching the events take place and choosing which of the listed actions you'd like to take in a limited amount of time. The amount of freedom is limited to one memorable scene, where you were allowed to walk around the Hinata Inn and choose which of the girls you'd like to try to win over. The game itself is rather short as well, taking about an hour to beat it for the first time.

-REPLAYABILITY (7/10): Although this game is rather short, you may feel the sudden urge to play it a few more times, just to unlock all the game has hidden. You'll probably also replay it a few times, just to try the options you didn't pick, or to get the girl you didn't choose. But beyond that, it gets rather repetitive.

-BUY OR RENT?: I'd suggest renting it, but that's not possible unless you're living in Japan, and even then, I'm not sure whether or not there are japanese rental stores that will rent out this game. If you have a friend who owns this game, I'd check it out there, but the game isn't worth buying unless you're a collector.

-OVERALL (6/10): Unless you speak japanese, are a hardcore LH fan or would like something to do for a bit, this game is not for you. Sure, it is fun for a little bit to make Keitaro have good luck for a change and the graphics are nice to look at, but it's too short and the game itself is nothing more than choices, which can get rather repetitive. If you're over 18 though I'd suggest the LH game over at newgrounds, as it will keep you entertained longer than this game ever will.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/06/04