Many people look back at their high school years and remember days full of awkward moments, hilarious adventures, tough teachers, new friends, and hoping to find that special someone. Released yesterday, December 17^th, NAMCO HIGH, the new web browser game from Namco Bandai Games and Homestuck creator Andrew Hussie, aims to recreate those days of hope and love in a charming, funny visual novel full of characters from numerous Namco Bandai games!

Players take on the role of the cousin of the Prince of All Cosmos from the beloved Katamari Damacy series. Awkward, shy and uneasy at first, the warm-hearted Cousin accidentally lands in detention, along with many other interesting characters. It is here that the player can choose to learn more about their fellow classmates, such as Lolo from Klonoa, Donko from Taiko Drum Master, Homestuck characters Terezi Pyrope, Jane Crocker, and Davesprite, and even the almighty, beautiful, technologically-advanced Galaga ship. As players dive deeper into the story, the Cousin begins to create meaningful connections as they participate in activities such as picking a club to join, ditching detention, and meeting at a café. Each character has their own unique story to tell, allowing players with the full game to experience something different in each playthrough.

The game is free to play for anyone with a decent computer and web browser, such as Firefox or Google Chrome. Players can choose to date six of the 18 total characters: Galaga, Lolo, Valkyrie (Legend of the Valkyrie), Anti-Bravoman (Bravoman), Meowkie (Mappy), and Albatross (Rolling Thunder). Players have the option to buy individual character storylines, small groups of characters, or every character at once. There’s even some pretty sweet merchandise up for pre-order; that class ring really looks awesome.

I went ahead and tried out NAMCO HIGH and adorably romanced Lolo. Without diving into her specific story, it is easy to see that each character is written very well; Hussie has really made sure that his team wrote many funny and light-hearted stories. The wonderful art, broken up between ShiftyLook’s (Namco Bandai’s webcomic endeavor) various artists, does a great job of showing emotions without the need for voice acting or animation. I had a blast reading through every character’s quirky personality, and Lolo’s storyline was adorable and heartwarming. I can’t wait to try the other character’s stories when I get the chance! Each story will take about a half hour or so to get through; with each character unlocked, players can look forward to a solid 9 hours of video game fun and romance! I highly recommend this to fans of classic video gaming and anyone who enjoys a nice visual novel.