Put yourself in the shoes of Hitozuma Hime protagonist Issei Ozaki, if you will. College graduate and genuinely nice guy, he decides to embark on a vacation with pals to sun-baked Bali as a sort of grand farewell to youthful freedom, with nothing but innocent intentions. So while his horny friends scramble madly and unsuccessfully to woo females, it’s Iseei who ends up scoring with the beautiful Chisato a beautiful and seemingly confident and carefree woman. In fact, so memorable was their one night of passion that he initially fails to recognize her… as the wife of his new employer and mother of the young boy he has been requested to tutor. Now I don’t claim to fully (or even partly…) understand the hearts of women, but I wager I’d be pretty offended if I were Chisato. Instead, once Issei comes to his senses and the shock/horror sets in, Chisato explains that she suspects her husband of having an affair and that for the longest time he’s shown her no affection whatsoever, revealing a woman more sensitive and fragile than Iseei imagined. Completely dismissing the “two wrongs don’t make a right” school of thought, Chisato proposes the setting up of a Secret Wives Club, inviting Issei to instruct her and two friends - equally beautiful but neglected and frustrated wives - in the art of pleasure. Making up the trio are the respectable, demure Kagari, whose husband suffers from impotence and the cute, naïve Nana, whose hubby would rather stuff his face with food than give her some loving. The player is given a selection of five lessons for each woman, with each having to be selected multiple times before you are able to progress to the next.

There isn’t much plot to speak of, but the game neither strives for nor really needs one. Hitozuma plays out like an insanely horny soap opera, focusing on the mundane everyday lives of the average Japanese twenty-something before spicing it up into a harem fantasy that most twenty-something males would consider heavenly. The sense of normality in the characters’ lives means that the fantasy isn’t particularly far-fetched; throw in the married women twist with numerous illicit liasons and the excitement only heightens.

Initially, the game system appears to be a simulation, but in reality is actually fairly linear; simply choosing which lesson to teach a specific woman is the extent of interactivity, everything that occurs therein the player has absolutely no control over. Still, it represents a change from the favored multiple-choice, even if the difference is almost entirely cosmetic. Which ending you achieve is dependent on numerous criteria, and unlocking certain graphics require these criteria to be met. This means a fair bit of replay value and a decent challenge.

Hitozuma features voice acting for the three women, and all do a decent job in their respective roles (which mainly consist of moaning erotically, but hey, no complaints there). Background music is mostly nondescript, with the mood of the tune reflecting the scene. Graphically Hitozuma is something of a mixed bag. Character designs are striking and sexy, the backgrounds are detailed, so what’s the problem? Inconsistent CG. Many are gorgeously rendered, but in other cases the artist resolved to draw the characters in what are best described as “dynamic” poses, with this often resulting in the art looking awkward and in some cases, quite ugly. The reuse of CG for as many as three or four scenes can become annoying too. Expect to see a gamut of sexual fetishes explored within, most of which render the male genitalia invisible.

It’s tough to criticize Hitozuma because it achieves mostly what it set out to do. The only real character development is of the sexual nature; the women gradually become more comfortable and expressive with their sexuality, as the lessons get progressively bolder. But it’s development nonetheless and, uh, interesting to watch. Otherwise there is little substance to be found. For this reason Hitozuma Hime Club is, some unappealing CG notwithstanding, pretty decent porn. However those looking for something more substantial may be disappointed with the shallow and repetitive nature of the game, while anyone genuinely offended by the notion of extra-marital affairs as the basis of a game should probably steer well clear.

Individual Rating: Art/Animation: 8 Story/Plot: 5 Characters: 7 Sounds: 6 Gameplay: 7 Ecchi Level: 8

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 1st, 2003 at 9:55 pm and is filed under Secret Wives Club, Games Hentai. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.