Kuroi Tsubasa
Before I begin, I'd like to give thanks to the wonderful folks at Ratalaika Games that have been showing us mutual love in covering their releases. Please check out our latest coverage on Cyber Citizen Shockman, a re-release of the classic 1980s Japanese title that never saw a release outside of Japan. On the other hand, Kuroi Tsubasa is an original visual novel released in 2022 on the PC developed by Blackwing Gaming. Its titular mascot, Blackwing, is the central character as the game's events kick off due to his negligence.
There are effectively two versions, the original PC release and the console version handled by Ratalaika. The PC version is free to play, with an optional ten-dollar DLC containing the soundtrack and bonus in-game content to support the developers. Right now, the console versions are less than five bucks and I'd recommend the Nintendo Switch version if you're going down this path. I will begin by saying that this review is based on the Nintendo Switch version, which has its own unique experience compared to other consoles and PC versions.
The "portability" feature is the main advantage the Nintendo Switch will always have other its peers, simply because of convenience. During my Otome genre spree, I mentioned that the idea of getting comfortable with a story that hooks you in with a calming aesthetic and matching music goes a long way. As I've hinted in the header, purple is one of my favorite colors so I enjoyed the graphic user interface by default. Kureha's appearance also complements this well. with bright colors and varied expressions. I couldn't help but notice that there were simply certain characters who were given more effort in their designs than others.
Whether or not it was intentional to see more effort in making beautiful characters like Kureha and Rurika exemplify their attractiveness and having characters like Tanaka exaggerate their ugly appearance to match their personality, it's a genius move in terms of art direction. The cast in Kuroi Tsubasa may be on the smaller side but it helps to remember each person as they all have their own trials and tribulations to overcome. This is also where the main plot of Kuroi Tsubasa kicks in and because the game is free to play on Steam, I won't go too much into the plot as all fans of visual novels should give this a read.
Originally a devil curious about the human world, Blackwing is the name of the form it takes when it possesses Kureha's stuffed animal given to her by her grandmother. Kureha Kurono is the protagonist of the story, a downtrodden salarywoman who once worked at a cabaret club. Moving to a different town and taking on a new job to impress her family and live up to their expectations, is the defining quality of Kureha. She's effectively a doormat, taking the brunt of her superior, Tanaka's, who abuses her and forces her to do his work while she's also talked about by her colleagues.
As it turns out, because of Blackwing's devil influence, his darkness had seeped out into this small town and had begun affecting the attitude of the residents. The darkness feeds on the negativity of the humans and at the risk of growing stronger, he enlists the aid of Kureha who has enough positive energy to fight the negativity and help others with their internalized problems. Some are insecure about their future while others feel alone. There are those who are also dealing with personal issues and unresolved trauma. However, as Kureha helps others, who, in turn, helps the helpful twenty-something magical girl?
Players who are concerned about getting "bad endings" or being locked into "multiple endings" can breathe easy as there is one ending but multiple paths to get there. There are certain scenes that take place only when a certain combination of choices is made, meaning that each playthrough has the potential to lead to a different outcome. The player may also figure out hidden traits about the characters they help, including their deepest secrets that are implied in the main route. Kuroi Tsubasa is a feel-good visual novel, however, with just enough fanservice to remain tasteful while highlighting the allure of Kureha. I mean, former cabaret club worker, right? (Even if she was the flyer girl)
However, unlike the otome games I've played, there's no hint of romance among any of the characters with Kureha and that's perfectly fine. The intention of Kuroi Tsubasa is to help build a woman who has lost her way in life and find purpose through others. There are lines of dialogue that tease Kureha by asking her about a "partner" or compliments that cause her to feel flustered, but every character in Kuroi Tsubasa are friends of Kureha. Kureha is for all intents and purposes "ace," at least implied, much like the protagonist for Soul Hackers 2 was. It's neat to see platonic relationships explored more in video games like this.
While I enjoyed the story, it was sometimes difficult to go through the dialogue for two major reasons. The first reason is while I enjoy the colors of the graphical interface, the actual GUI needs some tinkering outside of default settings. Within the dialogue box, the font is sometimes ineligible, distorting briefly in-between lines of dialogue. The text box is also borderline transparent, but the opacity can be adjusted. Lastly, it was a struggle trying to figure out if a certain option was highlighted but thankfully I was able to use the touchscreen controls of the Nintendo Switch as an alternative to go through the menus.
The second reason is because of the dialogue itself as Blackwing is a very chatty person. Blackwing is not only the character that the protagonist has primary control over (although some decisions can be made on behalf of Kureha) but he also doubles as a narrator. This means many internalized monologues that basically repeat the same sentiments a previous character made earlier. A lot of things that characters say are often repeated and echoed. Text boxes are seldom filled.
So you'll see dialogue like this.
All the time.
Even though it could have all been a single thought.
That wasn't worth repeating.
Like right now for example.
Heheheh.
- Making an example of how dialogue in Kuroi Tsubasa generally flows.
That's an example of how dialogue usually goes in Kuroi Tsubasa and thankfully adjusting the text speed made this go fast. My thumb did hurt by pressing the A button rapidly though. Regardless, if you can cast these inconveniences aside, Kuroi Tsubasa is a highly recommended indie visual novel for fans of visual novels and beginners alike. The cost of entry for both consoles and PC versions is greatly inexpensive and the hours of content provided to the player are worth it.
Kuroi Tsubasa is available for free on Steam. It is also available on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.