Developer(s) Innocent Grey Platform(s) Microsoft Windows | Composer(s) MANYO Genre(s) Visual novel | |
Publisher(s) JP: Innocent Grey
EU: MangaGamer Release date(s) JP: July 4, 2008
EU: June 29, 2011 | ||
Kara no Shōjo (Japanese: 殻ノ少女, lit. "Girl of the Shell") is an adult visual novel video game by Innocent Grey for the PC. It was released in Japan on July 4, 2008, and for English-speaking markets on June 29, 2011.
Contents
Gameplay
As a visual novel, Kara no Shōjo's gameplay primarily revolves around reading dialogue with other characters and making choices that affect the outcome of the game.
At certain points in the game, the player character, Reiji, is tasked with investigating crime scenes. During these investigation sequences, the player must examine these scenes to uncover evidence. Later, the player must put the evidence together during inference sequences, in which Reiji must find the best answer from the clues obtained during the game. However, it's possible to fail an inference sequence by failing to obtain a given piece of evidence during a prior investigation; this in turn affects the outcome of the game.
The game also features a travel system, through which the player can traverse between different locations in Tokyo. The player can only use this a limited number of times per day, and only on certain days.
Plot
Set in a post-World War II Japan during 1956, Kara no Shōjo's story revolves around Reiji Tokisaka (時坂玲人, Tokisaka Reiji), a private investigator who is investigating a series of grotesque murders on the request of his former colleague, Kyozo Uozumi (魚住夾三, Uozumi Kyōzo) of the Tokyo metropolitan police force. The murders are reminiscent of another string of serial murders that occurred six years ago prior to the game where Reiji lost his fiancée, which drives him with a strong desire to solve this case. Reiji also meets a girl named Toko Kuchiki (朽木冬子, Kuchiki Tōko), who asks him to find her real self. Reiji is initially unsure of what she means, but later finds out that Toko has an unusually complicated past that may have more to do with the current string of serial killings than Reiji initially expects. While working to solve the growing number of murder cases in Tokyo, Reiji takes some time out to get to know Toko while working behind-the-scenes to unravel the mysteries of her dark past.
Development
Kara no Shōjo is developed by Innocent Grey. The original concept was by Miki Sugina.
An audition for the voice roles of five of the main female characters of Kara no Shojo was held on January 2008. 254 applicants attended the audition.
In 2011, a sequel for Kara no Shōjo was announced by Innocent Grey under the provisional title Kara no Shōjo 2 (殻ノ少女2). The title was eventually changed to Kara no Shōjo: The Second Episode (虚ノ少女, Kara no Shōjo) and was released on February 8, 2013.
Release history
Kara no Shōjo released its first demo on May 4, 2008 with the full version planned for release on July 4, 2008. Pre-orders of the game will come with a unique special packaging and an illustration book spanning 82 pages.
An English-language version of Kara no Shōjo was released on June 29, 2011 in a collaboration between MangaGamer and tlwiki. The game can be purchased and downloaded from the MangaGamer website. MangaGamer released Kara no Shoujo : The Second Episode in English on October 30, 2015.
Music
The opening theme to Kara no Shōjo, named "Ruri no Tori" (瑠璃の鳥 lit. Azure Bird), was performed by Haruka Shimotsuki. The soundtrack for the game, named Azure, was released on the same day as the game on July 4, 2008. The composer of the soundtrack is MANYO (まにょっ).
Reception
During the month of June 2008, one month before Kara no Shōjo's release on July 4, 2008, Kara no Shōjo ranked sixth in national PC game pre-orders in Japan.