I’m not an expert on incest-themed visual novels and games, but I have a reasonable grasp of some of the classics, like Imouto Paradise. So, seeing Imolicious on JAST USA’s website, I decided to give it a shot. Unlike Sister Travel, or some other incest-lite games, Imolicious involves a blood-related brother and sister, who, due to tragic events, are orphaned. They rely on each other to survive in a world that doesn’t really want them. It doesn’t take long before we see that the main character, Wataru, has a roaring sister-complex, or siscon as it is commonly shortened to in Japanese media. In other words, he loves his sister as a woman.
The hook for this game, as written on the JAST USA website is “Will Wataru be able to hold back his feelings for Kanako? Day after day it’s getting harder for him to hold back….” Normally I wouldn’t bother quoting this kind of thing, but the hook is what the game’s story should be built off of, and in Imolicious, there’s no effective story. As the website says, there are two endings, so what I went in expecting was a good and bad ending, or possibly a neutral ending. Imolicious is not the most detailed visual novel, but I was hoping for a solid main route. I was disappointed.
Sometimes the true ending is the only good ending in a novel that otherwise has many endings. Being generous, Imolicious has a neutral ending and a bad ending. I won’t go into too many details, but I’ll give you my broad strokes reasoning spoiler-free. The neutral ending, which can be considered bad as well because the main character experiences no benefits, growth, or success in it, is extremely short. So short that after the main decision that leads to it, there’s one CG (non-ecchi), and a summary of the main character’s life for many years into the future. There’s basically no more game.
The bad ending of Imolicious is longer, and involves a plot progression, but ends with a surprise reveal that takes away any heartfelt emotions, support for the protagonist, and basically any appearance of a successful life for Wataru.
I hoped Imolicious would comment on the concept of incest, and provide a more realistic portrait of the genre as a whole. That’s a worthy motive, and I’ve seen a game do that better than Imolicious (unfortunately I can’t remember its name). What it needed to make it work was at least one ending where Wataru’s life didn’t seem like a wasted existence, with a darker tone.
Unfortunately, the tone does not fit the message. Akira, the character pictured above, is a boy who dresses up as a girl supposedly because their older sister forces them to. He also lives in a home with an abusive parent, and seems desperate to be anywhere other than home. Despite this, he is constantly used to make weak jokes, usually relating to cross-dressing, or gayness, or just to emphasize how focused Wataru is on his sister. Wataru is a lunatic, sure, but he’s constantly thinking in happy, rosy terms, and seems honestly distressed about his love for his sister. It’s all very lighthearted, in an eye-rolling, cliched way. It makes the dead-end endings feel like they’re stomping on a man who is such a flat stereotype that there’s no emotional impact on how his life turns out anyway.
The typos don’t help. I was laughing at horrible grammar errors when I was supposed to be worrying about Wataru confessing to his sister. It added a bit more comedy to the short visual novel that needed a sober, chilling tone instead.
I do not suggest getting Imolicious. It was boring. The art was fine, but below average. The plot sucked. The claim of two endings is only true in a literal sense. If you really like the genre maybe get it because it’s cheap, but don’t expect much from it. Get Free Friends 2 (NSFW) if you want a game in the genre to enjoy, or the aforementioned Imouto Paradise.
