Gaijin Troubles

Foreword

I originally published a review for Gaijin Troubles on February 3rd, 2020. I have updated that review, to reflect my thoughts on this game as of September, 2020. When I originally purchased this game, I found it to be a difficult and novel experience. I didn’t get too far into game, not since I got stuck in a bad save location (in between several hostile enemies during the Search for Anne 2 quest). As much as I’d love to play the game from start to finish, I don’t have as much faith in development as I did when I first reviewed it. I haven’t seen any news regarding development for months. Gaijin Troubles is an ambitious title with a lot of promise, though its future is uncertain; all we can do is wait.

Gameplay

Wander a school campus from point “A” to point “B” and complete fetch quests. Everyone wants the protagonist dead, so it’s important to manage equipment, food and fatigue as you fight your way through school grounds. Sometimes, your adversaries will drop money. Money is a precious resource, as it can be used to purchase healing items and training (with enhances your base stats.)

Story

Shirokawa is the new girl at school. Nobody likes her, save a pervy outcast that doubles as the story’s comic relief. When class adjourns, Shirokawa is thrusted into campus, with the expectation that she find her place among her peers. Shiro finds herself in all sorts of shenanigans, though it’ll take her a lot of punches if she’s to climb the pecking order.

Visuals

The titlescreen looks really rough, and the censored upskirt is a dreadful sight. From “Options”, you are able to adjust audio, censorship, and language preferences. I rather enjoyed the 3D-anime aesthic, between the visual novel and open-world portions of the game. However, the game is plagued by awful, glitchy skirt physics. Clothes will jerk around with unnatural, sharp edges and clip like crazy — now I don’t know about you, but I find that really immersion breaking!

Verdict

I do recommend this game, though I suggest waiting for a good sale. The lack of updates and clearly “Early Access” state of the game leaves me worried. Gaijin Troubles reminds me of Grand Theft Auto with its freedom and open-world exploration. I personally dig the anime aesthetic, and I think this could be an awesome game. There’s so much more that Gaijin Troubles could be — I just hope Grim’s Studio decides to get their ass in gear (in the near future, preferably).