Game Review: Moe Waifu H Fantasy

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5

We are once again gathered together to take a look at one of those games. Moe Waifu H Fantasy is the latest title in the Moe Waifu H series, and it's now available on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. The Nintendo Switch version is only available from the Japanese eShop, but I'm willing to bet that most Switch owners know how to get around that hurdle if they really want a particular game. Difficulties in picking it up aside, it's the Switch version that we're going to be taking a look at today, though I'm sure that they all play the same. There really isn't a need for further intro, so let's get right to the review!

It probably isn't at all surprising that there is no story at all to be had in Moe Waifu H Fantasy, though they did at least give the girls names this time around. I've been playing this series since its beginning, and I'm shocked it took them this long to make such a simple change. Better late than never I guess. Seeing as there is no plot to discuss, I guess that brings us straight to gameplay. I'm not really sure how to categorize Moe Waifu H Fantasy, but I guess I would say that it's a rhythm game in the most basic of senses. There are a total of fifteen stages in the game, broken up between five girls. Completing a stage unlocks the next, and you also get a new costume for the girl the stage belongs to. Your goal is to hit dozens of scrolling icons before they disappear off the screen, but they don't seem to follow any set pattern. There is a unique song for each of the stages, but the icons don't follow its beat. They also appear in a random order, so each playthrough is unique from the one that came before. The timing is off as well, and you have a long grace period in which you can hit a note. This is probably for the best, since you have to use the shoulder buttons to hit each note. I don't know about you, but that is not the way I like to play rhythm games. There is a bonus that grants you a higher score, but this game is such a mess that I wouldn't suggest anyone bother with it. I'm honestly struggling to find much to say about the game. I guess I might as well get into its negative points next.

I'm really not exaggerating when I say that there is very little to say regarding Moe Waifu H Fantasy's gameplay. You hit random icons, trigger a bonus when you get it, and you try to survive when the game starts throwing nonsense at you halfway through. I actually was having an alright time with the game until things like skull notes and screen distortion started to appear. These start to pop up from the third girl onward, and mess up the game in ways that are impossible to describe in writing. That's actually a huge understatement, since they will most likely lead to your first game over screens. Unlike an actual rhythm game, where you're allowed to make several mistakes before failing, Moe Waifu H Fantasy only gives you three lives in which to complete a stage. Missing a single icon takes away one, and missing three means a game over. There's no way to get more lives, and it can take a ridiculous amount of tries to get through the second half of the game. I often try to give any game the benefit of a doubt, but there's no way that these mechanics were playtested. This is a fairly meh game even when it's operating at its most basic level, and it literally becomes a broken mess by its second half. This is the part of the review where I move on to the positive points, but I'm at a loss as to what they could be.

There's not even much raunchy content in this ecchi-themed game. I've reviewed several games like this in the past, and can say with some confidence that Moe Waifu H Fantasy is as tame as can be. The three outfits you unlock for the girls are the epitome of basic, and I swear these are the same girls from some of the other games. That's not it either, as the backgrounds are also recycled and reused, and the icons you have to hit look like they came from another game entirely. You do have a gallery of sorts, but it's literally just the stage select screen without the stage selecting. Things don't get any better when it comes to music either. I actually didn't think there was a focus at all on the music until a few stages in, since the first couple songs were so random, and oftentimes very quiet. It wasn't until I got to the second girl that I realized that this was trying to be a rhythm game. You'd think that the developers would at least put some effort into the soundtrack, but that's giving them too much credit. Not only am I convinced that all the music came from some sort of royalty-free song library, but each of the tracks are just as random as the icons you use to clear them. There's no rhyme or reason to the songs themselves, and some of the choices made are just mind-boggling. I honestly expect very little from these games as far as presentation goes, yet Moe Waifu H Fantasy managed to surprise me by how lazy it is.

I played Moe Waifu H Fantasy for about 15-20 minutes before I hit a brick wall that ultimately made me give up. That 15-20 minutes was actually me clearing about half the game, but I then stumbled upon the late game obstacles I mentioned earlier. It took me about a dozen tries to clear the next song, and then tings only got worse from there. Each subsequent stage was worse than the one that came before it, and I had to throw in the towel early. This is a borderline unplayable game that takes more patience than I have to complete. It's not that it's hard per se, but the three mistakes only mechanic means that you can get a game over in literally a second or two. I guess I could've cleared the game if I was willing to spend another two hours plodding through those final stages, but I care about my sanity too much for that. I guess the developers figured they had to add those annoying mechanics since I would've beaten the entire game in about 45 minutes or so otherwise. If that's the case, then I suggest they just give their games better content overall. I set a really low bar for these types of releases, and it managed to completely fail anyway.

If it's not obvious yet, I don't think that anyone should play Moe Waifu H Fantasy. The other games in the series might be hit or miss as far as their own gameplay and content go, but they're masterpieces when compared to this one. I often like to say things like: "It's cheap enough so that one can pick it up for the lols alone!" but I can't bring myself to say that here. It's only $4.99, but that money is better spent on just about anything else. Hell, grab Moe Waifu H - Blockblast instead. I'm going to wrap this up now, but I still have hope that the next game in the series is at the very least as good as the ones that came before this one. Let's hope they don't let me down twice. See you in the next one.

For More Information on Moe Waifu H Fantasy:
https://www.eastasiasoft.com/games/Moe-Waifu-H-Fantasy

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Story: N/A
Gameplay: D
Graphics: C-
Music/Sound: C-
Value: B

Overall: D

Pros:
+ The first few levels are playable.
+ They gave the girls names this time around, and even a bit of animation.
+ I guess that its price point of $4.99 isn't all that bad.

Cons:
- If this is trying to be a rhythm game, then it failed in just about every way imaginable.
- The gameplay is extremely random, and is barely engaging.
- Visuals are meh, and the soundtrack is all over the place.
- While the first few stages are okay, if boring, the entire second half of the game is nearly unplayable due to the additional gameplay mechanics added.
- Honestly the worst game in the Moe Waifu H series.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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