Ludography
HoneyComing cover

2007 · Hooksoft · Adult · Drama

HoneyComing

PlayStation console exclusive

2007 video game

Released
2007
Platforms
PlayStation 2Windows
Genres
AdultDramaHaremRomanceSchoolVisual novel
Developers
Hooksoft
Publishers
—
Modes
Single-player
Country
Japan

About

HoneyComing (ハニーカミング, HanīKamingu) is an adult Japanese visual novel developed by Hooksoft which was released on June 29, 2007, for Windows. Kadokawa Shoten published a PlayStation 2 port of the game on September 3, 2009. HoneyComing is Hooksoft's sixth title, along with other games such as Orange Pocket, and _Summer. A fan disc called @HoneyComing RoyalSweet was released on August 28, 2009.

The gameplay in HoneyComing follows a plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters. The game offers three different modes: Amusement, Feeling, and Only One. The story revolves around Kōichirō Ogata, a young man entering his first year of high school into a former all-girls school. However, at this school, there are still mandatory subjects taught on love and romance, much to the dislike of Kōichirō.

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The gameplay requires little interaction from the player as most of the duration of the game is spent on simply reading the text that will appear on the screen; this text represents either dialogue between the various characters, or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. Every so often, the player will come to a "decision point" where he or she is given the chance to choose from options that are displayed on the screen, typically two to three at a time. During these times, gameplay pauses until a choice is made that furthers the plot in a specific direction, depending on which choice the player makes. There are five main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. In order to view the five plot lines to their entirety, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and choose different choices during the decision points in order to further the plot in an alternate direction.

The game begins with a choice of three modes: Amusement, Feeling, and Only One. Amusement Mode is intended for beginners where each of the heroines will have a favorable impression, and an icon on the screen shows the player how far in the game they have progressed. The Feeling Mode does not have an icon to show how far the player has progressed, and is seen as the typical setting for an adult visual novel. The last mode, Only One, starts with a selection for the player to choose one of the five heroines. Whichever girl the player chooses will determine which route the player will experience.

Story

HoneyComing's story revolves around the protagonist Kōichirō Ogata, a male first-year high school student who does not have any interest in matters such as love or romance. The high school he is admitted to, named Aikyō Academy (愛嬌学園, Aikyō Gakuen), used to be an all-girl school formally named Aikyō Girl's Academy (愛嬌女学園, Aikyō Jogakuen), and still carries a high population of female students. He starts school with his childhood friend Asahi Kamijō, his younger stepsister Mio Ogata, and best male friend Masanori Shinozaki. Kōichirō eventually meets two more female upperclassmen from the same school named Clarissa Satsuki Maezono, and Yuma Shichiri, along with a female underclassman from an affiliated school named Marino Tagaya; Kōichirō becomes friends with them. Since the school used to only have female students, there are certain classes oriented towards girls which are still required to take, such as lessons on love and romance.

These lessons are known as Love-making Lessons (恋愛授業, Renai Jugyō), and students at Aikyō are required to take these classes on how to fall in love, and the ways of proper romance techniques. Each lesson, two people (of the opposite sex) pair up to make something, such as a meal for example, and they must form good communication if they intend to pass the test. There are also tests on practical skills which required note taking to later be studied for tests. During these lessons, students from Aikyō, and a nearby affiliated junior-high school, are combined for a total range of six grades from the lowest to the highest.

Development

The producer for HoneyComing was Akira Asami, while supervision of the project was headed by Mujin Kawanami, who was also the main scenario writer. The art director for the game was Shitano, but the character artwork was headed by Makako Matsushita, and Racco. General computer graphics was headed by Rohei Yamane, who was accompanied by Mitsuki, and Mahiro. The music in the game was composed by Takao Matsūra, while sound in general was done by VII.

On May 16, 2007, a free game demo of HoneyComing, "Ver. 00", for Clarissa's scenario became available for download at HoneyComing's official website via a direct download link or BitTorrent. More free game demos followed, one for each heroine, and then yet another free game demo, "Ver. 02", for all five heroines later became available for download in early July 2007.

Reception

In the October 2007 issue of Dengeki G's Magazine, poll results for the fifty best bishōjo games were released. Out of 249 titles, HoneyComing ranked nineteenth with fourteen votes, and was tied with ToHeart.

Two character popularity polls were held on the official website. The first character poll started on June 8, 2007, and results were announced on June 22, 2007. A total of 28,960 votes were counted. Clarissa came first; Asahi came second; Marino came third; Mio came fourth, and Yuma came fifth.

Editions and related releases

Derivative works
Q137685771

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Collections2 collections

Platform libraries

Genres

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.