Would you play a game that opens up with a warning such as this?
You’re a gamer, of course you would!
Pantsu Hunter advises you to proceed with caution, however I felt it might have needed two types of warnings. One for the pending frustration you might encounter as you play. The second for the subject matter.
You see, the premise is all in the name, P-a-n-t-s-u Hunter. As in the Japanese term for ladies undergarments. Yes, this game is a virtual panty raid. After the initial shock over the subject matter, I proceeded to give the game a go as it is a point-and-click investigating style game, a genre I’ve recently discovered which I’ve found I really love.
The protagonist is Kenji, a university student who supports himself as a jack-of-all-trades who feels he is missing out as he wants to find the love of his life. He has decided that one can only find the true nature of a girl through her choice of panties. Thankfully these would not be the ones they are wearing, rather ones that they own and found in the places they live. And with his handyman skills, he has the opportunity to meet girls in their dwellings, and access their panties.
Background information is presented in a dialogue box style, as is the communication between characters,. There is voice acting for the girls, but not for Kenji. But that’s a minor point. When you look at each girl’s story chapters, you can see that there would be several endings available, including a True Ending. There are also a number of panties to collect, however as with the endings, not all are necessary to proceed to the next chapter. You will, however, need a set amount of panties to collect to end the chapter.
The game play is easy, just point and click looking for clues/panties. However, if you click the wrong item/area the game ends and you have to start the chapter again. This is where the warning comes into play. It may be frustrating, however you do open up the alternative endings mentioned before and you get to use your deduction skills to play it better next time around. Plus, with the slight comedic tone, it can be funny to see the different consequences to your actions.
The artwork is beautiful, as the title says, 90s style anime. There are some issues with the Japanese to English translations however this is a minor point, you know exactly how the script was meant to be read as so it really isn’t a problem.
One thing I found out when I streamed this, it works very well as an audience participation game online. There are several choices to make, and playing along with viewers was quite fun and engaging. Of course you don’t have to do this, however if you are a content creator, it’s ideal.
If you are a fan of Japanese anime, storybook style games, point-and-click, and slight humour, then this game is definitely for you. Have fun. Just don’t get your knickers in a twist about the less than politically correct subject matter.
Pantsu Hunter: Back to the 90s is available now on PS4, PSVita, PC, Mac, and Linux. Developed and published by Ascension Dreams, PlayStation version ported by Sometimes You
Lady Gamer 