Desire Review (SFW Version) - DetroitOtaku Reviews

WARNING: This is a game review of an erotic visual novel, or "Eroge", meaning it contains depictions of sex. Therefore it is intended solely for people over the age of 18. 

Even though this is the Safe For Work (SFW) version of this review which does not contain anything explicit, this review covers subjects that are meant for adult audiences. If you are 18 years and up and still find such material objectionable, then you should probably skip this game or not read this review.

Viewer discretion is advised.

Happy New Year, everyone! I know some of you have been waiting a long time for this review. Don't worry, I remembered. I've just been waiting for the right time to strike.

Back in 2021, I did an article on C's Ware and the eroge visual novels they developed. For a while I planned to do a review of a couple of their games but I put it to the side for a while. Now, the wait is over, and it is finally here. Since this is an eroge, I plan to post both a Safe For Work and Not Safe For Work version of this for you all to check out.

The 1990s marked a major turning point for anime visual novels, and the PC-98 was king. The platform was a goldmine. There were a ton of great visual novels on the platform, however one developer really stood out among the rest, and that was C's Ware. The PC-98 was also known for being a hotbed for eroge games, and C's Ware was considered the best. This was the first collaboration between the late visual novel developer Hiroyuki Kanno and the late composer Ryu Umemoto, and was Kanno's first title. It was a major sleeper hit in Japan and had a major influence on the visual novel genre because of it's overlapping story arcs, different character viewpoints, and multiple narrative layers. Not to mention that it was a pioneer in the eroge genre as well, as it helped launch C's Ware as a developer.

This is Desire, which came out on the PC-98 in 1994, and later had Safe For Work versions ported to the FM Towns and Sega Saturn, and was also remade for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo Switch. 

Today, we're going to review the Windows 98 version of Desire, which was the only port of the game to ever be released in the States. It also contains all of the NSFW content that was cut out for the console releases as well, but I'll cover those in the NSFW version, which I will leave in a link below in the comments.

The Plot

Desire follows Albert Macdgul, an American journalist who has been granted permission by the Grandchester Foundation to visit the tropical island of Desire, where a mysterious scientific research project that even the employees know little about is being conducted. While on the plane, a mysterious woman sitting in the aisle across from him gives him a friendly warning about the events to come, and tells him to be prepared for what comes next. Albert is also visiting the island because his girlfriend, Makoto Izumi, is the Chief Technician on Desire, and is working on the Foundation's project.

After arriving on the island, Albert is greeted by Reiko Kusanagi, the lead professor's secretary, and Desire's Chief Mechanic, Sylvia Brother, who takes care of maintenance on the island's planes and vehicles. She leads him to the island's research facility, where he is greeted by Christie Shepard, who heads the facility's information desk. They both take Albert to the lead professor on Desire, Martina Stelladovich, who is in charge of the experiment taking place on the island. She plans to reveal more details later, and lets Albert tour the rest of the island. 

When he heads out to the beach, he stumbles upon a young girl named Tina who washed ashore. Albert is able to get her medical attention. Albert then meets another researcher from his girlfriend's team, Sheryl Shattleet, who continues to show him across the island. Albert then comes across the woman who was on the plane with him, who is revealed to be Kazumi Grandchester, the granddaughter of the head of the Grandchester Foundation. When Albert tries to start a conversation with her, she intimidates him and threatens to kick him off the island if he tries anything too brash, then departs. Then, Albert and Sheryl come across Kyle Cartz, a researcher from Makoto's team who acts intimidating towards the female researchers. After he harasses Sheryl, Albert knocks him out with a single punch, and the two of them flee the scene immediately. Albert receives praise from the residents of the island for punching Kyle, and he and Sheryl part ways. 

Albert does some more investigating, and sneaks into Martina's room at the research facility. There, he discovers a photo of Martina's late husband and daughter, the latter bearing a striking resemblance to Tina, the girl he rescued on the beach. He then begins to question whether Tina is Martina's daughter, and if reports about her death are false. He also uses Martina's computer to do background research on her and the rest of her team, but only comes up with basic information. Reiko and Christie then discover his presence, but they ultimately go easy on him and let him go. After a while, Albert then comes back to get his guest ID, but he walks in on Kyle and Christie having sex. Startled, Albert panics and leaves the facility in a hurry, then runs into Makoto and Tina, with the latter running to embrace him. Tina begins to have an emotional attachment to Albert, which makes Makoto jealous. The two of them then head back to the employee residences for the night. 

While watching over a sleeping Tina, Christie arrives in Albert's room and hands him his guest ID. Then, she surprisingly seduces Albert and the two of them have sex. Afterwards, Christie and Albert talk about the research going on, and Christie reveals that she is suspicious of both the professor and the Foundation, and agrees to assist Albert in finding information to write about for his next article. The next day, Albert receives a mysterious phone call from an anonymous caller who tells him to watch out for Tina. Then, he receives a letter from Makoto where she reveals that she was against Albert coming to the island, and that the research she is doing is extremely dangerous. Albert also beings to notice Makoto hanging out with Kyle a lot, with the latter once again intimidating him in a threatening manner.

Albert meets up with Sylvia again, who shows him around the hangar where she works and her room. He then seduces her and the two of them have sex. Afterwards, Sylvia talks with Albert about the research. She tells Albert that she has heard rumors that Martina is working with Kazumi to develop biological weapons, and is also suspicious of both the Professor and the Foundation's activities. In the interview with Martina, she claims that her research does not involve developing biological weapons, but is instead focused on environmental engineering, biology, medicine, and physiological engineering. Albert then mentions to Martina the girl that he found on the beach and how she bears a striking resemblance to her late daughter, but she is unfazed and brushes off his question. 

Albert then meets up Christie again, who tells him that most of the islands employees have been taking days off, which arouses further suspicion. He then meets up with Reiko at her apartment, where she discusses Tina with him. Reiko mentions to Albert that she did research on the girl he found at the beach, but was unable to find anything in the Foundation's data bank. Albert mentions to her that this Tina has the exact same looks and physique as Martina's late daughter Tina, and doesn't think it's just a coincidence...

The Gameplay

The gameplay of Desire is rather simple. It is a point and click adventure game where you guide Albert, Makoto, and Martina throughout the island to advance the story. You can adjust the volume and other settings in the "OPTION" window at the top of the window. You can save the game at any time by clicking on the "SAVE" button above the test box, and you can load previous saves by clicking on the "LOAD" button.

When you arrive at a different location, you are given options in the text box, where you can move to another area, look or investigate an area you are in, or talk to any characters if they are nearby. You will sometimes have to shuffle through multiple options to advance the story, so don't be alarmed.

In Desire, there are three playable characters - Albert, Makoto, and Martina. The story is roughly the same in each character's campaigns, though each one has different narrative layers, overlapping arcs, and different viewpoints. Makoto and Martina will have access to areas on Desire that Albert won't have access to until the end of his campaign.

When you click the option to move to another area, you will be presented with an overhead map of the entire island, or of the residential complex and the research facility if you are inside of either building. Certain areas become available to you once you advance further in the story, such as the Medical Center or the Laboratory.

Martina's story can only be accessed after completing both Albert and Makoto's campaigns. Once you complete all three, you'll receive an anime cutscene containing the game's ending which is indicated by the "?" mark.

Now, time for me to give a brief discussion of the sex scenes. This is the "Safe For Work" version of this review, so you won't see anything explicit here.

In both Albert and Makoto's routes, you will encounter sex scenes with both characters. These are not fully animated cutscenes, so you'll only see a few pictures for each scene. They occur as you make progress in the game's story, so make sure to adjust your volume once your encounter them.

When I played through Albert's campaign, without counting the scene where he encounters Kyle and Christie at the reception desk, there are about a total of three sex scenes with him. While the graphic depictions are explicit, not to mention somewhat cringeworthy, they are surprisingly tame for an eroge. I was able to handle it just fine.

Makoto's sex scenes, on the other hand...HOO BOY...

If you thought Albert was the horny one here, you are sadly mistaken. Makoto ends up taking the cake for being the most degenerate one of the two.

When I played through Makoto's campaign, I counted not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven, but eight, yes EIGHT sex scenes with her, and two of them were with Reiko and the nurse Elena. I'm telling you, if you are someone who is into hentai, you are not ready to handle this. I'm not joking. I found Makoto's sex scenes to be rather revolting. I just could not handle it. I mean, I can sort of understand it as Albert cheats on Makoto by starting sexual relationships with Christie, Sylvia and the other females, but still.

And that's a brief explanation of the sex scenes and what you can expect to see. I really didn't feel like playing through Makoto's campaign to put myself through all that hell, but I did it anyway, because I like all of you. But don't take that too personally.

The Characters

Albert Macdgul - Age: 24 - Albert is the main protagonist of Desire. He is a journalist working for a small newspaper outlet that reports on global events, and is the boyfriend of Desire's Chief Technician, Makoto Izumi. Albert was chosen as the first reporter to ever be invited to Desire by the Grandchester Foundation, and he is allowed to cover the new secretive experiment that Professor Martina Stelladovich and Makoto are working on. During his time on Desire, he expresses dissatisfaction with his relationship with Makoto, and this shows as he cheats on her with the other female residents of Desire. Also, Albert doesn't believe Martina's initial explanation of her experiment, and works with Christie, Sylvia, Reiko, and Sheryl to uncover the truth.

Makoto Izumi - Age: 24 - Makoto is the secondary protagonist of Desire and Albert's girlfriend. She is the Chief Technician on Desire, and is Professor Stelladovich's second-in-command. She assists Martina with her new experiment, however even she is not 100% sure what it is all about as she has not been told the full story either. Throughout the story, Makoto discovers that Albert had been cheating on her with Christie and Sylvia, and starts an affair with Kyle which develops throughout the story, and she works with him to find out what Martina's experiment is really about.

Martina Stelladovich - Age: mid-30s - Martina is the third main protagonist of Desire. She is the head researcher on Desire. With financial assistance from the Grandchester Foundation, she is working on a new experiment that is unknown to the rest of her team, and while she claims it is for peaceful purposes, Albert and Makoto are not convinced. She lost her husband and daughter in an explosion during a previous experiment she was working on, which motivated her to try harder and not repeat the same mistakes that led to their deaths.

Reiko Kusanagi - Age: 25 - Reiko is Martina's secretary on Desire. She is also Makoto's best friend from college. She is Martina's primary assistant, as she assists with her research and susses out outside threats who seek to steal her work. She handles employee schedules and payroll. In Desire, she acts as Albert's tour guide as she gives him a general tour of the island, however she also takes a liking to him and works with him to find out the truth behind Martina's experiment and the mysterious girl called Tina.

Christie Shepard - Age: 28 - Christie is another one of Martina's assistants. She handles the information desk at the entrance of the research facility. Christie is a divorcee, and has a habit of trying to seduce the male members of the research team. She also takes a liking to Albert, who she later seduces. She also decides to team up with Albert to find out the truth behind Martina's experiment, as she is becoming suspicious of both Martina and the Grandchester Foundation.

Sheryl Shattleet - Age: 22 - Sheryl is one of the researchers on Desire. She works directly under Makoto. She is of Brazilian descent. Sheryl was once Kyle's girlfriend, but had a nasty break up with him, and is constantly harassed by him. She ends up being rescued by Albert, who knocks out Kyle with one punch. Sheryl later develops an attachment to Albert later in the game and works with him to uncover the truth behind Martina's experiment.

Kyle Cartz - Age: 26 - Kyle is one of the researchers on Desire. Like Sheryl, he also works under Makoto. He is known for his intimidating and manipulative personality, as he constantly harasses and successfully seduces most of the female workers on Desire, with the exception of Reiko and Sylvia. He later starts a rivalry with Albert, as well as a sexual relationship with Makoto. Despite his villainous personality, he is not one of the villains, as he too is suspicious of Martina's work and works with Makoto to discover the truth.

Sylvia Brother - Age: 22 - Sylvia is Desire's Chief Mechanic. She handles maintenance on all of Desire's vehicles and planes. Like Sheryl, Sylvia also develops an attraction to Albert, and the two of them start a sexual relationship together. Later on, both Sylvia and Sheryl fiercely compete for Albert's affection. Sylvia was the one who reveals the rumors that Martina is working on biological weapons, and she works with Albert to find out the truth. 

Elena Fransow - Age: 18 - Elena is a nurse on Desire. She works at the island's medical facility. Not much is known about her, and she has a very deceptive personality. After Albert rescues Tina from the shore, Elena watches over her and does tests on her to make sure her health is alright.

"Tina" - Age: Unknown - Tina is the mysterious girl who washes up on the shores of Desire. She is rescued by Albert early in the game and later develops an emotional attachment to him. Not much is known about her, and bears a striking resemblance to Martina's recently deceased daughter, who was also named Tina. This causes Albert and Reiko to question whether Martina's daughter is really dead or if she is still alive. 

Kazumi Grandchester - Age: 23 - Kazumi is the granddaughter of the head of the Grandchester Foundation, a large multinational organization. Not much is known about her, though she is constantly seen with Martina as the two of them discuss work. She handles public relations, and has a known disdain for the media. When Albert arrives on the island, she constantly intimidates him for no reason and repeatedly threatens to kick him out if he causes trouble. However, she begins to open up to Albert later on in the game, and eventually teams up with him as she plans to reveal damning information on Martina and the Foundation itself.

My Thoughts

I had been interested in playing Desire and some of the other C's Ware titles after picking up both this game and EVE Burst Error for the Sega Saturn. However, as both games were in Japanese, I was unable to play through them. I eventually decided to check out the Windows version, which was uncensored, and this game was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.

Even though this game is over 30 years old now, it still holds up very well today. The story was solid and very gripping, the cast of characters were great, the graphics were pretty good, and the character designs and animation in general were superb. The soundtrack is surprisingly excellent, and the ending was fantastic. The plot twists in this were also top notch and it makes you question what's coming next.

I will also say that the sex scenes in this do actually add to the story, surprisingly. It managed to pull off what Bible Black did six years after it: hentai with an actual plot. Though it is far more tame than Bible Black. But yes, the sex scenes do add to the story and the way it uses sex to tell the story is surprisingly well done. While I think Blue Gender and the World's End Harem manga are better at using sex as a storytelling element, this game still does it very well in it's own right.

Yes, there are obvious flaws with Desire, mainly that the gameplay gets too tedious and repetitive after a while, it is still a great game regardless.

Believe me, when I was doing my research on C's Ware and this game, I had a hard time finding stuff out. Even now I am unable to find any more information on these games besides info from Asenheim Project and the following sites I listed in the review and my C's Ware article. It was quite a chore because these games don’t have a big following here in the States. I LITERALLY had to scrape the BOTTOM OF THE BARREL for what I am telling you here. 

Desire was and still is a pioneer in the visual novel genre, and it's no wonder that it got an HD remake on the Nintendo Switch and PS Vita. It is a very enjoyable and gripping game, and a good starting point for those interested in exploring the eroge or hentai genres.

7.5/10

In Memory Of

Hiroyuki Kanno

May 8, 1968 - December 19, 2011

Source(s):

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desire_(video_game)
• http://equimanthorn-lux.blogspot.com/2016/05/desire-spiral-of-perversion-review.html?m=1
• https://sonictoad.medium.com/what-desire-haitoku-no-rasen-showed-me-about-storytelling-game-design-and-myself-f62de9ceb403
• https://www.giantbomb.com/desire/3030-4285/images/
• https://tss.asenheim.org/

If you are interested in playing Desire, you can play it for free at The Asenheim Project's website. Click here.