"The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart" Review

Player(s): 1
Platform(s): PC (Via Steam)

“The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart” is a visual novel recently released in English by Fruit Bat Factory. While this was originally a pornographic VN the English release follows a similar format to the Japanese Playstation 4 release and removes the more graphic content. The story is still adult in nature and does not write out the events of the removed scenes so this is by no means an all-ages VN. To complete the four routes and the special Nobuchina side story will take anywhere from 35-50 hours.

The story follows Nora Honda whose life is thrown into chaos after meeting a princess of the underworld who due to some confusion during a “practice” confession from your childhood friend makes him her familiar. This causes Nora to transform into an adorable black cat when kissed. Each story revolves around one of four friends helping Nora learn how to turn back into a human for good as their relationship develops into something more. The girls are: the princess of the underworld Pricilla, your cute energetic underclassmen Yuuki, your adopted sister Sachi, and the seemingly stern childhood friend Michi.

Just looking at the game I have to say I love the art. The character art is expressive and really shows off the personality of the cast. This extends to the side characters as well! This is a fully voice-acted game and they did a spectacular job with it. The background music is nice as well. I have played quite a few VNs were at some point I would have to switch the sound off, but the music never felt repetitive. If you are into instrumental background music I would go as far as to say the soundtrack DLC is worth it. 

The game makes good use of Nora’s friend group to add story depth. The romantic interests are actively involved in the other girl's routes and their personalities are expanded on further. The extended cast includes Pricilla’s sisters and Nora’s three classmates Yuki, Nobuchina, and Ida who I really enjoyed learning more about in every arc. The friend group dynamic is charming and comes to be important in each rout

The stories themselves are pretty much what you would expect. You are not going to be taken on any wild twists and turns if you have played visual novels or watched an ecchi anime. That said, what it lacks in a strong plot it makes up for in the character-driven story. Most character development doesn’t come from trials thrown at the couple, but through interaction with the supportive cast. I loved this. I often find when reading visual novels that once you pick a route that girl becomes the main character’s whole world and you ride that wave till the end. That can feel hollow and often ends up being boring. In these stories the whole cast is involved in the process of helping the main character with each girl which builds up a more colorful world around them. Plus it is just sweet to see the other girls help out the girlfriend when she is stressed about their relationship!

​The writers and translators on this project were on fire as well. It is by far one of the funniest VNs I have played. It is not always in an over the top way, either. While there are moments where the joke is your standard ecchi misunderstanding, as you learn about the friend group and how each character plays off each other more subtle humor kicks in as well. Also, I hope you like cat puns, because they got a lot. 

As stated earlier the pornographic scenes have been cut from this version, but they do a better transition than other censored visual novels I have played. They acknowledge what is about to happen then fade to black. There are still plenty of suggestive scenes if that is what you are looking for. This VN stands strong enough without it in my opinion.

If you can’t tell, I really enjoyed this game. I think the current $20 price tag on Steam is well worth it. This took a long time to read and I feel like if I had casually read the story it could have kept me occupied for a few weeks. I wholeheartedly recommend it if you enjoy sweet romance visual novels with a little more development. Should they translate the sequel I will be waiting to receive it with open arms.

-Emily G

"The Princess, the Stray Cat, and Matters of the Heart" Steam Link:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1010600/The_Princess_the_Stray_Cat_and_Matters_of_the_Heart/

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​Story: A-
Graphics: A
​Sound: A
Value: B+

OVERALL:  A-

Pros:
+ Nice Art / Voice Acting / Music
+ Characters worth getting invested in
+ So very long

Cons:
- Could have had more plot
- Censored

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