Steam] Cute is right! PC games featuring beautiful girls!

Dear readers of Akiba Research Institute, how are you doing? I am Nero Hyakkabe, a writer who buys too many games.

On June 22, it was announced that Mien Mien from "ARMS" would be joining the Switch's "Super Smash Bros. By the time this article is published, it may already be implemented in Smash Bros. Mien Mien is truly my top choice for "ARMS". I am writing this article with mixed feelings of excitement and relief upon hearing the announcement. Mien Mien, the daughter of the owner of a ramen shop, is a fighter who fits the term "fighting beautiful girl," and this time I would like to introduce a Steam game in which such a beautiful girl plays a major role.


1. beautiful maids fight! Rogue-like deck-building card game " Phantom Rose


  • Maker：makaroll
  • Release: August 8, 2019
  • Price: 1,500 yen (as of June 23, 2020)

Do you all like maids?

When it comes to maids, the image of Akiba is still very strong. I have been to a maid café in Akiba twice in my life, taken by a friend. I was surprised to see an elderly couple sitting next to me having lunch in a very relaxed atmosphere, and I realized just how commonplace maid cafes are in Akiba.

So, this "Phantom Rose" is a card game in which such maids are the main characters.


(C) 2019 makaroll


This game is a follower of "Slay the Spire," a pioneering roguelike deck-building card game that has recently been released for smartphones.


For those who have not played "Slay the Spire," a brief description of the game is "a game in which you fight enemies in randomly generated stages to acquire cards and make your deck stronger and stronger. Battles are turn-based like RPGs, and the system of paying costs and using cards in your hand is similar to TCGs such as "Magic the Gathering" and "Yu-Gi-Oh!

This "roguelike deck-building card game" genre is characterized by a perfect mix of randomness and strategy that is just highly addictive. It is a deep swamp game that can wipe out several hours of your life before you know it. I, for one, have been so taken by the charm of "Slay the Spire" that I have purchased the PS4, Switch, and smartphone versions, and to be honest, I'm still itching to play it even as I write this article.

So this "Phantom Rose" is another "roguelike deck-building card game" with a deep swamp element, imbued with the essence of "Slay the Spire".



The main character is Reina, a dignified and cool-looking maid.
The story is about her exploration of an evil-tainted mansion in order to find her master.


The first thing that catches your eye when you start the game is its unique design. While the red and black colors give the game a gothic feel, the characters, including Reina, are drawn in a cute anime style. The stylish visuals are a fusion of cool and cute, giving players the feeling that they are playing a cool game.



The game is an exploration style game.
The goal is to advance one square on the map, battle enemies, go shopping at the store, and perform events that give you a chance to acquire items, and when you are done, advance one square again to ....... The cycle is repeated to reach the stairs in the lower right corner.


There are squares along the way where a fellow maid who used to work at the mansion is trapped, and stronger-than-usual enemies are waiting for her, so be careful. If you win the battle and rescue her successfully, the maid will give you items useful in battle. What you have is what your colleagues have. ......



Battles against enemies are in the form of card battles using your own deck, but the system is not similar to the "Slay the Spire" system described earlier.


In this game, when the battle phase begins, you and your opponent's cards are first lined up in a row on the field. The cards are dealt in order from left to right, and the basic action of the player is to replace the cards in his or her hand with the cards in the field while checking the enemy's action plan.


The player will attack on the third card, so he/she should place a shield card on the second card to prevent the attack."

My opponent will use his shield on the fifth card, so let's attack him before he uses his shield.

Let's judge the best card to use according to the battle situation.

By the way, cards have no usage cost. This is a big difference from card games such as "Slay the Spire" or "Magic the Gathering".



Furthermore, there is one more thing that makes this game very different from "Slay the Spire". That is that the cards you use disappear. Basic cards such as attack and defense can be used as many times as you want, but all other cards disappear from the deck after you use them.


As mentioned earlier, the "roguelike deck-building card game" is based on collecting cards from battle rewards and stores to grow your deck. However, because of the system in which cards disappear after use in this game, the deck does not grow permanently, even though it is called deckbuilding.


Instead, more cards are given as rewards after battles, and cards can be easily purchased and duplicated at stores and rest points.

However, even though you can add cards to your collection, it is difficult to use them casually when you think they will disappear. It is very important to find the right moment to use a card during a battle, and it is a game that requires a lot of thinking.


Incidentally, I have a pattern of saving cards without using them, and then I end up in a pinch. Hmmm, poor .......



In "Phantom Rose," it is important to keep an eye on the battle situation at all times, such as the proper replacement of cards in the field and in the hand, and the timing of using cards to consume, which is at the same time the key to the fun of the game.

If you like card games or "Slay the Spire," if you want to play games that use your head, if you are attracted by the cool illustrations, or even if you just like maids, please give "Phantom Rose" a try.

Purchase "Phantom Rose" here

2. Run through it, beautiful girl! Pop and cute 2-button music game " Muse Dash


  • Maker：PeroPeroGames
  • Release date: June 20, 2019
  • Price: 360 yen (as of June 23, 2020)

Although I love games, I don't have a genre that I'm good at, but there is one thing I can say I'm good at. That is music games. I have been playing Konami's Pop'n Music for more than 20 years, and I have cleared the high difficulty level songs one after another using a regular PlayStation controller, not a dedicated controller, especially for the home version of Pop'n on the PS and PS2. He has been praised by a friend who saw him playing the game, who said, "Your finger movements are weird. Sound games are the best!

So, I would like to introduce you to "Muse Dash," a sound game in which cute pop girls play an active role.


(C) 2019 PeroPeroGames


Before touching on the content of this game as a sound game, let's first touch on the design.

The main feature of this title is, as you can see from the screenshots, the pop and cute visuals. In addition to the cuteness of the girls you control in the main sound game, the performance screen, song selection screen, menu screen, and everything else is pop and cute. Just looking at them makes you feel excited and happy.



There are several characters to choose from, and as you progress through the game, you can collect items to unlock more girls. There are also different costumes for the same girl, such as witch or bunny girl. Some of them even look a bit naughty. ...... Thank you very much! (Sudden thanks)

Each skin has its own unique abilities, such as increased score, but it seems like it would be good to simply choose the one you like best to motivate you to play.

Now, let me introduce the important part of the game, the sound game.

The performance screen looks like a side-scrolling action game. The role of the notes that indicate the rhythm is played by the monsters that appear one after another in the game. The role of the notes that indicate the rhythm is played by the monsters that keep coming up.

Incidentally, not only monsters, but also obstacles such as a giant saw that rotates while buried in the ground appear from time to time. You can avoid these obstacles by pressing the buttons in time with the rhythm of the game.



Sound games often have a large number of buttons to use.

For example, "beatmania IIDX" has 7 buttons plus a turntable, "Pop'n Music" has 9 buttons, and "jubeat" has 16 panels, etc. For those who have never played arcade games, the large number of buttons directly affects the difficulty level. For those who have never played music games before, the large number of buttons is one of the factors that make it difficult for them to play even if they want to try it.

However, "Muse Dash" has only two buttons to use. In terms of default key settings, it uses only the "F" and "J" keys on the PC. If we were to compare it to an existing music game, it might be played similarly to "Taiko no Tatsujin," which consists of only two types of notes: "Don" for the drum face and "Katsu" for the rim.


However, Taiko Drum Master has two types of notes mixed into one line, making it difficult to keep track of the rhythm depending on the score, whereas this title has two lines, making it easier to see and keep track of the rhythm.



In addition to unlocking playable characters, there are also many challenging elements such as unlocking helpful characters called "elves," challenges, and achievements. Basically, sound games are a genre in which the player must battle against himself or herself to see how high a score he or she can achieve, and this makes them highly compatible with challenging elements.


As you advance through the levels of the game, the number of songs you can choose from increases, which also motivates you to play more. The songs included in this title are quite good. I have the impression that there are many groovy songs and cute songs that match the cute, pop-culture world of the game, and I can assure you that you will feel good while playing. When I found a song by my favorite artist, 3R2, I couldn't help but let out a squeal.



While the simple two-button controls will capture the hearts of sound game beginners, there are also challenging elements, such as challenging difficulty levels for the same songs, that will entertain even the most seasoned sound gamers.

If you are interested in this game, please play it and run through the world of music with cute and beautiful girls. Headphones are a must for a more immersive experience!

Click here to purchase "Muse Dash

3. Glamorous beauties are in full swing! Exhilarating Musou-style action " SMASHING THE BATTLE


  • Maker：STUDIO HG)
  • Release date: May 16, 2016
  • Price: 1,180 yen (as of June 23, 2020)

Like Mien Mien of ARMS, whom I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I believe that the existence of "fighting beautiful girls" has a great, ineffable appeal. I have been looking up the history of "Ribbon Knight" by Osamu Tezuka, the master of "God of Manga," and there is a story that it is the originator of the "beautiful girl fighting girl" genre.

Now, "SMASHING THE BATTLE" is an action game in which beautiful fighting girls play an active role.



The protagonist of the game is Sarah O'Connell, a construction site foreman with white hair, big glasses, and, dare I say it, a flabby body. In order to escape from a high-rise building under construction where a work robot has mysteriously gone out of control, she runs around the building in a battle armor called a safety suit and fights enemies. The setting is the year 2085 AD, with a sci-fi and futuristic worldview.



The most notable feature of the game is the design of the characters and their safety suits. This sexiness, which could be said to apply to the "slightly echi games" we have featured before, makes it hard ...... to look away, but your eyes can't help but be drawn to it.

By the way, this is what it looks like up close. The more you look at it, the nicer the design is. I mean, the safety suit is not so sexy in a different sense!



Now, let's move on to the introduction of the main story.

This game is a 3D action game with a look-down perspective. When you advance on the map and enter a certain section, the exit is blocked off and a battle with enemies begins. Once all the enemies are destroyed, the exit opens and the player can move on, in a so-called "belt-scroll action" style.

The player has three actions: attack, evade, and skill. If you attack immediately after evading, you can unleash a powerful smash, so you should aim aggressively, but be careful because after evading, there is a gap that renders you inactive. Also, using skills, she can heal and perform powerful attacks such as the giant spanner attack, but she consumes SP points, so do not fire them recklessly in rapid succession. While fighting enemies, the player must constantly assess his or her own condition and the state of the battle, making the game quite challenging.



After playing the game, the author felt that the game's distinctive feature is the feeling of being walloped by enemies. The number of zako enemies that appear in each compartment in this "SMASHING THE BATTLE" is quite large, and if you stay still, you will be in a pinch in no time. However, by making full use of smashes and skills, you can eliminate a large number of enemies at once, giving you the exhilarating feeling of a musou-type game. Combined with the tawdry visuals of the characters, it reminded me of the "Senran Kagura" series, which I love.



Another feature of this title is the character training element. You can spend coins obtained in stages to increase HP, SP, attack power, etc., so you can play in a similar way to leveling up in RPGs: just keep challenging the same stage to accumulate coins, and only when you are strong enough, you can move on to the next stage. Coins can also be used to buy a safety suit of a different design. You'll want one when you are shown such a nice outfit!　I'll do my best to save up the coins!



While the basic controls are simple-attack and evade-the game offers an exhilarating experience as you bludgeon your way through hordes of enemies, and a moderately challenging action game. If you are looking for a pleasant action game with a beautiful girl going on a rampage, check it out.


By the way, the main character, Sarah O'Connell, has a part of her body that shakes when she runs, though we dare not say where. Check it out if you like it!


Click here to purchase "SMASHING THE BATTLE

Bishojo, an oasis for the soul


So, we have introduced three games on Steam that feature beautiful girls.


Regardless of the genre, such as card games or action games, when a "beautiful girl" appears in any game, I feel that it brings moisture to my thirsty heart. No, really.

I would like to continue to regularly introduce Steam games in which beautiful girls play a major role, so please stay tuned!

Author：Nero Hyakkabe
Freelance writer who buys too many games. I currently have more than 300 games in my stack. Also a novelist. Author of "Goaken Unrated Edition" (Kodansha) and "My Mother's Lie" (in "Malicious Kwaidan") (Takeshobo).

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