Midori in a Pinch

Erotic games rarely catch my eye. It’s not that I don’t “enjoy” the content: it’s simply that most of them are, for lack of a better word, boring. Most of them fall within the realm of classic visual novels with a severe lack of interactivity, while those designed with extreme “interactions” in mind rarely have any real gameplay to speak of. Then, there’s Midori in a Pinch, a game that asks “What if porn games where fun?”

This side-scrolling beat ‘em up takes what seems like a simple premise and turns it into a risqué adventure with some severe retro flair. If you’re in the mood for a game that “rewards” your failures with spicy scenes, then Midori in a Pinch is the one for you. However, if you’re anything like me, you’ll soon forget you’re even playing a hentai game once you get into the platforming thrills of this game.

Day: Ruined

The game stars Midori, your average Japanese high schooler in peril. Once you get past the similarities with Danganronpa, you’ll notice Midori isn’t as reliant on any hero as the stereotypical moe girl protagonist. Midori can kick, punch, and even use the school’s fire extinguishers to fight against a bizarre threat.

What began like a normal school day suddenly turns into all-out-war when an army of assailants invades Midori’s school. Unlike your Wonderful 101 grunts, these assailants are less “goonies” and more “gooners.” That’s right: the enemies are here to do unspeakable things to Midori – so you better kick their behinds before they do so.

Retro Cuties

One thing I really liked about this game is how retro it feels. And I don’t mean that just because it’s a 2D platformer: most games have that nailed already. No, what I mean by that is that Midori in a Pinch has all the elements you’d find in your classic Super Nintendo game, like punishing difficulty and a basic plot that’s easy to follow.

Then, there’s the level structure. Each stage has Midori fight a set number of invaders. Failing to repel them leads to a very basic h-scene. Honestly, I don’t think the game qualifies as “porn” or hentai as much as it does ecchi. Most of the content is relatively tame and a far cry from the usually hardcore scenes you’d find in more intense games in this genre.

Intense Survival

Gameplay feels just right in this game. Considering the, erm, “subject matter,” I was expecting a game that felt more basic. What I got, however, was a solid gameplay with responsive controls and tight movement that wouldn’t feel out of place in a game like Hollow Knight.

Naturally, that alone makes the game feel much more like an actual “game” than most of the other hentai games I’ve played. Look, I’m not the one to say that games like Honey Select 2: Libido don’t have any creative merit – but if you’re in the mood for a naughty game that truly scratches that gamer itch, you can do so much worse than Midori in a Pinch.

Pros

• Solid controls
• Great art style
• Tons of replayability

Cons

• Light on naughty content
• Noticeable difficulty spikes