Doushin: Same Heart

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Doushin: Same Heart

Developer(s) Crowd
Publisher(s)
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)
  • JP April 21, 2000
  • NA May 24, 2008
Genre(s) Eroge, Visual Novel
Mode(s) Single Player
Distribution CD-ROM

Doushin: Same Heart (同心～三姉妹のエチュード～ Dōshin ~ Sanshimai no Ecūdo) is a dating sim/eroge single player game created for Windows based personal computers. It was originally developed by Crowd, and later translated into English by Peach Princess. The game offers a multiple-choice, "zapping" interface with heavy use of CG.[1]

In the game, the player takes the role of one of the three Suruga sisters: Ryoko, Maki or Miho. Each character has her own story line. The story lines are intertwined. Each sister has a secret they cannot tell anyone, because of an unexplained physical phenomenon where one sensation experienced by one Suruga sister is also felt by her other two sisters -- no matter where they are.[1]

Gameplay

The player assumes the role of one of three sisters. The areas open for exploration depend on which sister the player chooses. The house and the main commercial street are the same for all three sisters. The role assumed by the player is different depending on the character first selected. To achieve the best possible ending, the player must pay close attention to all of the clues. At times, the player must use the "switching" mechanism. The player can turn on a reference that gives a letter grade indicating how close s/he is to completing their objectives.

Switching

"Switching" in the game allows players to switch from playing one of the sisters to another. The player can sometimes switch between any of the three sisters, while at other times choices are limited. "Switching" is supposed to help lead to further discussion in conversations started during the same time slot. Sometimes one can switch to a time 5 minutes in the past or future. "Switching" between characters not only helps one encounter different story lines, but also changes the story and allows the player to see all of the endings. Occasionally, this may block other story lines, so the player should be careful and use this feature wisely.

Characters

The Suruga Sisters

Ryoko Suruga (駿河 遼子 Suruga Ryōko)

Ryoko is 23 years old; and is the eldest of the three sisters. She works as an office woman along with Misaki Suou, her colleague and friend. She has been responsible for her younger sisters since their parents passed away. She is popular with the male employees at her company. The player must find a way to make Ryoko stand out and be noticed by male employees who follow her around in office.

Maki Suruga (駿河 真樹 Suruga Maki)

Maki is 20 years old; and is the middle sister. She is bubbly and full of energy. She goes to college with her questionable boyfriend, Ippei Takebayashi, and a foreign exchange classmate Chamsi "Cham" Benenetty. She is the tennis club's top player. All three sisters are members as is their self-proclaimed arch-rival, Alice Kagurazaka. The storyline progresses through the game as she has to deal with her college life.

Miho Suruga (駿河 未歩 Suruga Miho)

The youngest of the three, Miho complains about looking younger than she is despite being in high school. She is a bookworm and has only one friend at school, her classmate Kei Satonaka. Miho has a secret crush on another one of her classmates, Yusuke "Nasshi" Nashimoto, that only Kei knows about. The story follows her high school life as turmoil erupts between her and Kei over the former's crush.

Main Supporting Characters

Kazuhiro Natsume (夏目 轄浩 Natsume Kazuhiro)

Chief of the General Affairs office, Kazuhiro, age 29, is a capable manager, but has a tendency for a wandering eye when it comes to female employees. He is a charming man with a powerful will. As the story progresses he becomes involved with Ryoko.

Misaki Suou (周防 美咲 Suō Misaki)

Best friend of Ryoko's and another office lady at the same branch. She comes from a well-off family and has a pure heart. She tries to do everything she can to help Ryoko, even though the latter tries to keep her distanced to keep her from trouble.

Ippei Takebayashi (竹林 一平 Takebayashi Ippei)

Ippei, known as Ippei-chan by Maki despite being a male, hangs around with Maki. The relationship is questionable boyfriend/girlfriend. Ippei is cheerful and full of energy just like Maki, but he is also very laid back as well. He is a part of the Tennis Club, and according to Maki could be better than her, but he ditches it most of the time because he doesn't like it. He is also friends with Cham.

Chamsi Benenetty (チャムシー・ベネネッティ「チャム」 Chamsī Benenetti)

A foreign exchange student from Thailand. Maki and Ippei appear to be her only friends, although Alice seems to tolerate her and even get along with her at times. She is quite clueless; and has an unusual sense of taste in food compared to her friends. Because of her cluelessness, Maki feels like a guardian or older sister and tries to protect Cham.

Alice Kagurazaka (神枝坂 アリス Kagurazaka Arisu)

President of the Tennis Club, Alice comes from a rich family and is very competitive. She is Maki's self-proclaimed arch-rival, though she constantly falls short of Maki, according to the latter because she gets worked up too much. The rivalry includes everything from tennis playing to seeing who can eat the fastest, or retaking classes just to beat Maki in that session.

Kei Satonaka (里中　螢 Satonaka Kei)

Kei is 18 yrs old and has a crush on Hashiba-senpai. She is Miho's classmate and best friend and wants to see romance bloom between Miho and Nasshi, to the point of trying to force them together at times, much to Miho's dislike. As the story progresses, she thinks Miho is trying to steal Hashiba-senpai from her and becomes jealous.

Yusuke Nashimoto (梨本 有助「ナッシ」 Nashimoto Yūsuke)

Yusuke Nashimoto, nicknamed "Nasshi" by Kei, is quiet and reserved. He is completely oblivious to Miho's feelings for him. He is classmates with and friends both Miho and Kei, and tries to help them out when they need it.

Hashiba-senpai (羽柴せんぱい Hashiba-senpai)

Hashiba is a senior in Miho's school and the class heartthrob. He has a tendency to use women as objects. As the game progresses, Miho, Kei and Hashiba get involved in a love triangle and Kei becomes jealous of Miho.

Reception

The zapping feature in Doushin: Same Heart has had some mixed reviews. On one hand, it showed a new innovative twist to the redundant visual novel format. However, there were concerns that it left the players confused because of all the possibilities and how many times a switching can affect the decision of many different outcomes.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Doushin - Same Heart". Otaku Review. Archived from the original on 2009-03-14. Retrieved 2008-10-25. 

External links

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