Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo is an upcoming adventure visual novel from Dank Hearts. It blends many of the genre’s signature elements and executes them in an entertaining and engaging way.
A Familiar Narrative
The game takes place in the fictitious world of Noise Scramble City, which exists somewhere in Tokyo. We start the game by following the amnesiac teenagers Zena Yugamizora and Soto Ochibana, who wake up in a water-filled underground bunker. They have no idea how they got there or know anything about their circumstances, including their past and identities. All they know is that if they don’t find a way out, they will die.
After solving the room and escaping, the two eventually meet other teenagers in a similar situation. They find out they’re trapped in Noise Scramble City, and their only hope of escaping is to make their way through the several rooms in the city, unlocking hidden memories along the way. Without spoiling too much, one thing leads to another in the prologue, and players are forced to shift perspective from the lens of Zena to Sato. The prologue proves that Type NOISE is not afraid to delve into heavy topics and sacrifice its characters in a heartbeat, which is usually the recipe for a good death game visual novel.
All the characters introduced in the game have distinct personalities, backgrounds, and mysteries or secrets to uncover. However, while far from dull, the characters all fit into a specific generic trope. Zena, the overzealous, headstrong character, and Sato, the bland and agreeable protagonist type, are just some examples. But despite their basic personalities, the background behind these characters, their interactions, and the many mysteries regarding their presence in this strange world are incredibly interesting. As the preview demo only features early chapters, how these characters’ entire stories will play out remains to be seen.
An Interesting Gameplay Structure
Gameplay-wise, players control Zena and Sato as they try to figure out what is happening and escape. Players pick up clues around the room that will help unlock locks that will solve the room. A core element of the game is finding shards of forgotten memories called Noise. Finding enough of them will unlock a scene of the character’s past, which is linked to the specific room you’re trying to unlock.
This scene will then give you the final clues you need to complete the room. All characters have their own rooms, which provide both a challenge to players and a chance to look at their past and learn more about them. However, it is a shame that the game has no voice acting, as while the visual novel is still easy to read and is engaging enough without it, the complete lack of voice acting is incredibly noticeable and makes the story and several scenes a lot less impactful than it could’ve been.
While not very challenging, the puzzles are all unique, intricate and incredibly creative. They all have a central theme that is unique to the games in this genre. Additionally, like many visual novels, players are given choices which affect how the narrative will play out. For example, the demo gives you a choice between the following two characters into a room, and this choice determines which character you learn more about and what kind of puzzles you’ll solve.
Final Thoughts
In terms of visuals, Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo features great character designs, background art, illustrations, and amazing limited animations. Overall, Type-NOISE: Shonen Shojo is a promising visual novel with some notable drawbacks. It has interesting characters and a unique storyline, but we’ll have to wait to see if these elements will be well executed in the final product.
