Iwakura Aria from PQube and MAGES is a new Rated M for Mature visual novel adventure in which there are many dark secrets to uncover. Learn more about it in our Iwakura Aria review!
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Iwakura Aria from PQube and MAGES is a new Rated M for Mature visual novel adventure in which there are many dark secrets to uncover. After the War, Japan experienced rapid economic growth, but this was not the case for many people. On this new journey, that scenario includes a girl known as Ichiko. With nothing else left in her life to cling to, she decides to give it one last go by becoming the maid for the Iwakura household. You’ll be taking on the role of Ichiko Kitagawa. Unfortunately, you’ll quickly realize that things are not what they seem, and that the Iwakura family hides many dark secrets… most of which are connected to the titular heir: Aria.
This is the story of how your life and Aria’s become intertwined during that one summer way back in 1966, when you were only 16 years old. The story will start thirty-three years in the future, as you remember what happened during that one faithful summer. You were working hard on trying to sell some items at a bazaar to hopefully raise some money to help cover the operating costs of the orphanage. These items included tableware, some towels, and a doll… with a rather creepy face. There was also an item that was very different from the rest: a watercolor painting you made of a bird. It was that painting that would end up changing your life forever. Amane Iwakura approaches you about the painting and buys it for 2,000 Yen. On top of that, he ends up offering you a job as a live-in housemaid.
Along with yourself, the other three characters for this visual novel are the titular Aria Iwakura, Amane Iwakura, and Sui Miyauchi. You’re a young girl who was raised in an orphanage and who loves to paint to express yourself. Aria Iwakura is a beautiful and radiant girl living in the mansion in the Nishigahara area of Tokyo. Amane Iwakura is Aria’s father and is a wealthy gentleman with a very calm demeanor. As for Sui Miyauchi, she’s the exclusive chef of the Iwakura residence, making her way to the residence every day to prepare all meals for the family while also working at her family’s western-style restaurant.
If you’re new to visual novel adventures, they offer an experience that is usually of a novel-sized nature, which, as the name suggests, is presented in a visual format. Some of them offer voice acting for the main character, some offer voice acting for the main character and those surrounding them, some offer voice acting even for smaller side characters, and some have no voice acting at all. Iwakura Aria is fully voice-acted in Japanese, so you’ll be doing a lot of reading in your future if you’re not familiar with the language.
Given the game’s nature, you’ll be using the A button for most of your time with Iwakura Aria, since pressing it will help to move the conversation forward as you advance through the story. You can also press the Y button to activate Auto-Mode so that the game takes care of things. Since you’ll be reading a lot of text, you might want to go into the text settings in the config menu to adjust the text speed as needed. The same goes for the speed at which the Auto-Mode will present text when activated. Press the ZL or ZR buttons to display the sketchbook to check the drawings you’ve made so far.
As you explore the mansion, you’ll be using the map to locate the items and clues needed to unravel the mysteries at hand. You’ll be able to uncover the dark secrets of each of the characters as you try to stay one step ahead of them. You should also pay attention to what you add to your sketchbook. Ichiko’s sketchbook will include detailed drawings of the things that have caught her attention, and this can sometimes include clues on everything that is going on at the Iwakura mansion. Yes, you’ll get a chance to explore the residence at your own pace. The map will show a pin to mark your current location. You’ll be able to move to any room that displays a name. Any important rooms for you to visit will be marked in red to steer you in the right direction.
As is usually the case for other retail visual novels, you can visit the Extras menu to get a chance to enjoy some of the content that you unlock as you progress through the game. This includes the Music section, where, as expected, you’ll be able to listen to the game’s music. Another one is the Clear List, which will show you how far you’ve managed to progress in the game’s overall story. Another option is Side Story, where you can check out the side stories that are unlocked by meeting certain conditions during your time with Iwakura Aria. The other section is the Album, where you’ll get to enjoy all of the images that you’ve seen throughout the story.
The game presents us with a series of illustrations that help to bring the world of Iwakura Aria to life, thanks to the work of illustrator Hyakunen and graphic designer Nakada Fumi. This one offers lots of replay value since the choices you make will have an impact on how the future unravels for the protagonist. This can lead to one of the nine different endings that the game has for you to unlock, as you learn how things are 33 years after the events of the main story. How will your story unfold? Iwakura Aria launches tomorrow on Nintendo Switch with a $39.99 price tag.
Disclaimer
This Iwakura Aria review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by PQube.
