Introduction to Renai Games
Renai game is an adventurous Japanese computer game focusing on romantic interactions with anime girls. It is a sub genre of Bishojo games. Renai is a japanese abbreviation which means ‘romance’. Not all but few Renai games contain pornographic content. Bishojo game containing hardcore pornography are generally called H games other are called Renai games. Terms dating sim and visual novel are often used as synonyms for Renai game in English. The terms love sim or love adventure games define Renai games more accurately, for casual use in English.
Characteristics
Dokyuesi have established the conventions for Renai games in 1992. In Renai game, the player controls male role surrounded by female characters. The game play involves start with the selection of artificial intelligence - controlled girls, attempting to increase their internal ‘love meter’ through correct theme of dialogues. The same game lasts for a fixed period of game time been mentioned, such as one month or three years. When the game ends, the player looses the game if he failed to win over any of the girls, or ‘finishes’ one of the girls, either by having sex with her or achieving eternal love. This gives the games more replay value than some other game genres, since the player can focus on a different girl each time, trying to get a different ending.
There are different types of variations for Renai games: high-school romance is the most common, but a Renai game may also take place in a fantasy setting and involve challenges such as defending your girl from monsters. Renai games, as their name suggests, generally strive for a romantic atmosphere.
Famous Renai games
Following are the few especially popular and influential Renai games. There are thousands of Renai games in existence, but the games on this list were successful enough for an anime series to be based on them.
- Air
- Kanon
- Memories Off series
- Pia Carrot e yo koso (Welcome to Pia Carrot)
- Sister Princess
- To Heart
- Tokimeki Memorial (Heartthrob Memorial)
- True Love Story
- Tsukihime (Moon Princess)