Developer Circus Genre Visual novel Released JP: April 27, 2012 | Publisher Circus Platform Windows, PSP | |
Genre Fantasy, Harem, Romantic comedy | ||
Da Capo III (〜ダ・カーポ III〜, Da Kāpo III, abbreviated as D.C. III) is a Japanese visual novel developed by Circus that was released in limited and regular editions on April 27, 2012 as a DVD playable on a Windows PC and is rated for ages 15 and up. It is the third main installment of the Da Capo visual novel franchise, after Da Capo and Da Capo II. The story takes place 20 years after the events from Da Capo II. The gameplay in Da Capo III follows a branching plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the five female main characters. A 13-episode anime adaptation aired between January and March 2013.
Contents
Gameplay
Da Capo III is a romance visual novel in which the player assumes the role of Kiyotaka Yoshino. Much of its gameplay is spent on reading the story's narrative and dialogue. Da Capo III follows a branching plot line with multiple endings, and depending on the decisions that the player makes during the game, the plot will progress in a specific direction. There are five main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. After the completion of the first four heroine routes, an additional scenario called Zero is made available, which revolves around Aoi Hinomoto, another heroine of the game. After Zero is finished, another route is made available. Throughout gameplay, the player is given multiple options to choose from, and text progression pauses at these points until a choice is made. To view all plot lines in their entirety, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and choose different choices to further the plot to an alternate direction.
Plot
An island named Hatsune-jima shaped similarly to a crescent moon is famous for its cherry blossom trees, one of which is rumored to make any wish come true. One day, the unofficial newspaper club decides to challenge the official newspaper club to see who can write a better article. Ricca Morizono, the president of the newspaper club, accepts the challenge along with Himeno Katsuragi, Charles Yoshino, Sara Rukawa, Aoi Hinomoto and the only male member of the club, Kiyotaka Yoshino, the protagonist. However the girls start to find Kiyotaka quite a distraction.
Development and release
Da Capo III is the 52nd title developed by the visual novel developer Circus. The game's production was headed by Tororo, president of Circus. The scenario was written by two people: Kōta Takeuchi and Chihare Ameno, who is also the game's director. Character design and art direction for the game was split between two artists: Natsuki Tanihara and Yuki Takano. Music in the game is performed by four artists: CooRie, Yozuca, Aimi Terakawa and Suzuko Mimori.
Da Capo III was first announced on November 1, 2009 at Circus' 10th Anniversary Premium Concert and Announcement event as one of the ten Da Capo-related announcements made at the event, and was formally unveiled in the August 2011 issue of Dengeki G's Magazine. Da Capo III was released on April 27, 2012 in limited and regular editions, playable as a DVD on a Windows PC and is rated for ages 15 and up. The limited edition came bundled with an original illustration booklet, the game's original soundtrack album, and a promotional card from the Weiß Schwarz collectible card game.
Da Capo III was ported to the PlayStation Portable by Kadokawa Games under the title Da Capo III Plus released on February 28, 2013. An updated version of the original game with additional story and visuals titled Da Capo III R was released on May 24, 2013 for Windows and is rated for ages 15 and up. An adult version of Da Capo III R titled Da Capo III R: X-rated was released on May 31, 2013. A sequel titled Da Capo III: Platinum Partner was released on April 25, 2014.
Internet radio show
An Internet radio show to promote Da Capo III titled Kazami Gakuen Shinbun-bu (風見学園新聞部, Kazami Academy Newspaper Club) had a pre-broadcast on January 5, 2012, and began regular broadcasting on February 2, 2012. The show is streamed online every Thursday, and is produced by the Japanese Internet radio station Hibiki. The show is hosted by the voice actresses of the five heroines in Da Capo III: Erika Kaihō as Aoi Hinomoto, Mikoi Sasaki as Himeno Katsuragi, Emi Nitta as Ricca Morizono, Ui Miyazaki as Charles Yoshino, and Chiyo Ōsaki as Sara Rukawa.
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Yuka Kayura began serialization in the May 2012 issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Comptiq magazine. A second manga illustrated by Nonoka Hinata began serialization in the September 2012 issue of ASCII Media Works' Dengeki G's Magazine.
Anime
A 13-episode anime adaptation, produced by the anime production committee Kazami Gakuen Kōshiki Dōga-bu and directed by Ken'ichi Ishikura, aired between January 5 and March 30, 2013.
Music
The Da Capo III visual novel has nine pieces of theme music: four opening themes, two ending themes, and three insert songs. The four opening themes are: "Da Capo III (Kimi ni Sasageru Ai no Mahō)" (ダ・カーポIII 〜キミにささげる あいのマホウ〜) by Yozuca, "Hajimari no Uta" (ハジマリノウタ) by No Life Negotiator, "Shiny Steps!!" by Suzuko Mimori, and "True Magic..." by Yurica/Hana-tan. The two ending themes are: "Harukaze ni Negai o" (春風に願いを) by Hiromi Satō, and "All is Love for you" by CooRie. The insert songs are: "Watashi ni wa Mienai" (私には見えない) Kyoro The World, "Hirari Namida" (ひらり涙) by CooRie, and "Kimi ga Ita Mirai Kimi to Inai Mirai" (君がいた未来 君といない未来) by Yozuca.
The opening theme for the anime is "Sakura Happy Innovation" (サクラハッピーイノベーション) by Emi Nitta, Ui Miyazaki, Mikoi Sasaki, Chiyo Ousaki, and Erika Kaiho. The main ending theme is "Meguru" (メグル) by CooRie. Other ending themes include "Aitai yo" (会いたいよ) by Yozuca for episodes 1 and 10, and "Reflection" by Emi Nitta for episode 6.
Reception
Da Capo III ranked at No. 6 in terms of national PC game pre-orders in Japan in March 2012. In 2012, Da Capo III went on to rank three times in terms of national sales of PC games in Japan. The rankings were at No. 3 and No. 8 in April for the regular and limited editions, respectively, and No. 11 in May.