Quick Look: Sakura Succubus (Nintendo Switch)

Sakura Succubus is the first in a series of short visual novel stories that originally began life on Windows PC via developers Winged Cloud and thanks to publishing partner Gamuzumi the games are (slowly) making their way to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles starting with the very first game which was released digitally worldwide on the 22nd April 2021.

It goes without saying that the Sakura Succubus titles would usually be considered ‘not safe for work’ but those released onto consoles, and on Steam for Windows PC, are the modified ‘safe for work’ versions. The change (or removal) of content does not do anything to hamper the overall enjoyment of the story, but unlike other visual novels that have been adapted for ‘safe for work’ release, which adjust dialogue and remove scenes accordingly, the removal of content is noticeable in this first Sakura Succubus title. Perhaps this is how the developers intended it to be, but at times I found it made for a jarring experience, especially when a conversation seemingly stops mid-way and then resumes shortly after to talk about events that we were not privy too.

That aside, Sakura Succubus follows the story of the seemingly average man Hiroki who after failing to take photos of an idol’s concert finds himself thrust into the seedy world of the Succubus. In this case Hiroki attempts to drown his sorrows at a bar and in doing so finds himself being swoon by non-other than the popular female business owner Marina. Through lots of dialogue, and some oddly placed cutaways, we learn that this popular business owner is actually a Succubus and that the scent the protagonist gives off is one that all Succubus yearn for.

From there we see Hiroki return to his normal daily routine, with thanks to Marina, but soon enough his normal routine changes when even more Succubus appear on the scene. Realistically Hiroki finds himself in the middle of a harem, with three different Succubus all after the same thing, His body and affection, by partaking him in various activities – some more direct than others. From a story perspective it is a comical one and quickly unfolds with each Succubus being given a chance to present their personality traits; albeit very briefly. In this situation Marina is the strong business owner that gets what she wants, Hiroki is the scatter-brained shut-in and Ayu is the famous tsundere idol. A typical, but strong, line-up of characters indeed.

While the story of Sakura Succubus might leave very little to the imagination the game does operate just like any other visual novel, but sadly – much like Legend of Talia: Arcadia – there is no voice over. Text simply appears on screen with ever-changing background music being played. It’s a bit dull and dreary, even if the artwork is nice and detailed. The character artwork, albeit detailed, also does not display any real movement other than sliding across the screen or changing positions. It’s certainly a lower tiered presentation of visual novel, even more so with its length, but it does over a fun little story with some multi-choice options which (sadly) do not really seem to do anything other than change dialogue slightly.

Sakura Succubus is probably not a title you would expect to see on the Nintendo Switch, and while the game offers an amusing little story it’s not something I expect to come back to anytime soon. The story, while comical, feels a bit jarring and simplistic but that aside it does run well on the Nintendo Switch console, including the text which was perfectly readable in handheld mode. If you are looking for short visual novel story that features exotic artwork then Sakura Succubus might be the story for you.

Sakura Succubus is available worldwide digitally for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.