Shuffle

Shuffle is a visual novel game that has quite an interesting history behind it. It was originally released all the way back in 2004. What the game is perhaps most well-known for though is that it actually got a PlayStation 2 port. This version of the game is probably the most famous. It added in two new girls, but it did take away the sexual adult content so there is that trade-off. The game being re-released is a great idea as it is a rather interesting story.

Humans, Demons & Gods: Can They Get Along?

The premise and story of Shuffle is one that caught my attention right away. Humans have had their world turned upside down as two “strange doors” opened up. One is a world of gods and the other is a world of demons now all three worlds are coexisting which has resulted in some strange goings-on.

Naughty Or Nice?

The game has you playing as a pretty average guy called Rin in an average town. The thing is, this dude’s life is turned upside down when two girls move in either side of him, one part demon and the other part god! Quite the predicament indeed! When you first play the game you have five girls that you can try and romance. I think that five is a very nice number as it gives you plenty of replay value. Shuffle takes it one step further though by giving you two extra girls to try and fall in love with. These were not originally on the PC version when it was released back in 2004 so getting them here is great.

Overall, the game has a kind of goofy and kookiness to it which I like. Some of the attempts at humor make you roll your eyes, but I actually feel this is intentional.

Please Select Your Destiny!

What gives this game plenty of replay value is the way when you are reading the story you are given the order to “please select your destiny”. This is the part of the game where you can dictate what path you go down. Some paths are longer than others and I felt that the choices I was making did make a difference. It is kind of fun to go back and play Rin as a kind of different kind of character and see what one of the girls you end up with.

Even though Shuffle is a game that is well over a decade old I like what they have done here. Some may not like the fact that all of the sex scenes have been taken out, but this is still a fun visual novel. The actual story has a lot going for it and I do like how each of the girls has their own personality and that you actually do want to go down each path to see how the story can unfold in different ways.

Final Score: 8/10

Pros:

• Even for an older game, the visuals are nice
• There are seven different girls
• The premise of the game with gods and demons is cool
• Your choices feel like they matter
• Plenty of reasons to play through it multiple times

Cons:

• No adult content is included in the official release
• The humor might be a bit strange for some