Games for Adults Halloween: Sexy Demon Transformation

Sexy Demon Transformation Review

                Well, here we are for one more Halloween review for 2012, this time we’ll be looking at a more light hearted game than usual. I’m sure at least once or twice most of us here have dressed up as something for Halloween, well in the case of this game our main character wears actual monsters… Okay, pretty weak tie in to a Halloween theme, but it was the best I could come up with. Anyway, the game I am referring to is one of Mangagamer’s most recent releases Sexy Demon Transformation, originally in Japan by Softhouse-Seal on February 25, 2011 and released in English September 14, 2012.

Pros: Amusing little story, characters are surprisingly likable, interesting ideas with the demon possession, good artwork.

Cons: Game could have been longer, no Airi route, demons could have had some more screen time, little opportunity given to the demon possession system.

WTF?!: I’d like to meet the person who this idea would immediately come to mind to.

                 As some familiar with my old blog may remember, I wasn’t really looking forward to this game as I was pretty disappointed in Mangagamer’s license announcements at this year’s Anime Expo convention. Also the story summary didn’t make this game look very promising either:

“This is a story of a shadow world where humans and demons continue to war...

My name is Ashiya Yamato.
I am a genius exorcist whose job is the cleansing of demons.
That's not something that can be revealed to the outside world, though, so no one knows about it.
With the spread of civilization, demons have been reduced in size, and are about as dangerous as bugs,
but I have containers in which I can collect them... because I have been disgraced!
She, Asuka, dared to snatch the position of Boss, greatest leader of the exorcists, away from the one
it should have belonged to - me!

No matter. I will recover what was stolen from me.
The possession abilities obtained from the demons, and the demon cleansing powers of the exorcists -
once combined, nothing is impossible!

That's right, with a myriad monsters under my command, I will have no trouble ravaging Asuka!
Once pregnant, her spiritual power will be reduced, and she will fall from the position of Boss!”

Sounds like the story for your typical supernatural rape eroge, doesn’t it? So as you can guess, I wasn’t really looking forward to this game and only bought it because it was cheap and figured I could at least warn people about it in review. However, I was in for a very pleasant surprise as I found myself enjoying it. For it turns out Sexy Demon Transformation isn’t a rape eroge, it’s actually a rather decent parody of the supernatural part of the genre.

                Basically what makes the story an amusing little romp is how it’s used as a setup to subtly present some tropes of the genre and make fun of them. This includes the convenient dumbness of characters in these types of games all so the plot can work and also just how ridiculous the monsters can be. One scene features a demon made out of toilet paper… I swear I’m not joking. Of course, SDT doesn’t just rely on those jokes, aside from the humor from the character interactions there’s even some joke references to Pokemon.

                Of course this parody wouldn’t be as good without likable characters (click here for profiles) and for such a short game SDT manages to provide just that. All the heroines are interesting enough as characters and they each have interactions with Yamato that are often pretty funny. Surprisingly even Yamato is likable, which I know is hard to believe considering how this game’s story is summarized. It’s actually even harder to explain, but basically he’s a parody of the type of character that would feature in the kind of eroge being parodied here except he’s really a decent guy just really silly and comedically short sighted.  

                As for which of the routes I like, I’d say that my favorite would have to be Yukihi’s since I really liked her interactions with Yamato as they were both interesting and in some cases kind of cute. Asuka’s and Shiori’s routes tie for second place because while they’re both really good and establish a believable enough relationship between them and Yamato at the end, I feel the routes could have used a little length in the later parts. Last place goes to a sort of harem end, as it had an interesting premise but it kind of feels like there should have been more be it character interactions or ero scenes.

                Now don’t think I’m giving this game a free pass just because it’s a comedy; it does have its problems in the area of story. Most of them are because of its shortness. For example, the demons are giving an interesting presentation at the start with their own unique designs and hints at a personality, plus the game does a good job presenting a very genuine feeling of empathy Yamato has towards them (which is especially seen in Yukihi’s route). The problem is the only demon given a real role or personality is Nurarihyon, and I feel the game could have been more interesting if the others had gotten similar treatment. Also there’s sadly no Airi route.

                In the area of system, SDT has an interesting one centered around Yamato’s merging with the various kinds he meets throughout the course of the game from the infamous Muramasa to the wall like Nurikabe. Basically you select which demon to take along with you and then select the right area where one of the heroines is and if you have the right one with you, you get an ero scene and begin unlocking her route. Sadly that’s all there is to it as you don’t get any variance in what ero scene you get depending on your choice of demon, nor is there anything like using more than one demon at once even though there are two slots open when you pick which demon s to bring along.

                When it comes to presentation SDT does a pretty good job. The artwork is really good and the voice acting is pretty solid. The game’s music is just okay though, with the only really memorable piece coming from the game’s opening.

                As for the ero scenes, they’re all pretty good, some of them are even animated (sort of). Don’t worry about how the premise of this game sounds, all of the scenes are pretty light hearted ones.

In Conclusion:

                Sexy Demon Transformation is a game that I had low expectations for, but its turning out to be a good comedic take on an eroge genre I’m not usually fond of made for a pleasant surprise. I’ll admit it’s short and its demon possession system could have used some polish, but it makes for a fun little game all the same that’s well worth the price of around $25. After all, who wouldn’t want to put on an actual monster for a costume and go out for a night of tricks and treats on the town? Happy Halloween and maybe next year I’ll have more reviews handy.

Final Score: 6/10 Above Average

Author Recommendation: Buy it Now.

Game can be bought here, by the way.