I asked OpenAI’s GPT-3 to generate 31 different videogame ideas, one for each day of Blaugust, each dealing in some way with that particular day of the month. Here’s its idea for August 17th, “There is No Room 17 in Kaisei Academy”.
Number: 17. Genre: Visual Novel. Title: “There is No Room 17 in Kaisei Academy” Outline: In this game, you are a student at the prestigious Kaisei Academy in Tokyo, Japan. A new semester has just begun and you must help your classmates solve various mysteries that have cropped up around campus.
In this anime-flavored visual novel, you are a student at the prestigious Kaisei Academy High School for boys in Tokyo, Japan. A new semester has just begun and you must help your classmates solve various mysteries that have cropped up around campus, all seemingly pointing to a mystery regarding Room 17. There is, however, no Room 17 at Kaisei Academy.
This visual novel makes use of a traditional point-and-click mechanics and tells its story through text with occasional still images. You can choose to read the story as it unfolds, or you can just click on the “next” button to advance it faster.
There are also occasional choices that you must make in order for the game to progress further. You’ll be able to play as several of the students as the game progresses, including the new transfer student, the star of the soccer team, and even a girl.
Those who have played any of the Persona games will already be familiar with this kind of setup, but there’s no need to have played any of those games in order to understand what’s going on here.
If you’re a visual novel fan who is tired of all the dating sim elements that are often found in these kinds of games, you’ll be happy to know that this one isn’t about dating girls. There is a romance subplot involving a couple of the characters, but it’s not the main focus.
Teachers include the terrifying and intimidating Mr. K, the strict but kind-hearted principal, and the stuck-up headmaster.
The characters are all pretty likeable and there’s a bit of comedy thrown in to keep things light and fun. The artwork is colorful and cheerful, making the game more pleasant to look at than it might otherwise be.
There isn’t much music, but what little there is fits well with the overall tone of the game.
DLC
The game has some DLC available, which is mostly just extra art.
It’s currently only available for PC and Mac, but it has been released on mobile devices before. It should be relatively easy to find on Steam, GOG.com, or other digital retailers. It’s not too long, so if you’re looking for a short visual novel with some mystery elements, this one might be worth checking out. Rating: 4 out of 5 cute mascots.
