Ecchi Spirit is a lewd “whack-a-mole” game about exorcising spirits from hapless priestesses!
Adult Content?
(F, FxM) Sexual content.
Censorship?
No. Woot! Woot!
Hours of Gameplay?
Two hours.
Patch Available?
No, not necessary.
Gameplay: overview (2/5★)
Search shrine maidens’ bodies to remove evil spirits (and then their clothes!) The goal of the game is to remove spirits as they appear on each character’s body. It’s a bit like “whack-a-mole”, but slightly lewder. Each spirit is worth one or more “points” — points are used to unlock new dialogue and girls (and remove clothes, but nakedness is purely optional). Most spirits are assigned one of three colors — depending on the order you select them, you’ll increase your “bonus” (increasing the value of each spirit!) On the other hand, if you choose the wrong order, you’ll lose any acclimated bonus. Spirits don’t have to be immediately destroyed, which gives you the option to wait (and pray for the right colors to spawn). Take care not to wait too long; if you miss a single spirit it’s game-over. Don’t bother stockpiling points between ladies. They’re reset whenever you chose “Next Girl” (I already tried and I ended up wasting a lot of time).
Gameplay: wombat complains
The game only saves “when you are unlocking a new girl”. If you exit to the main-menu (or close the application), your progress is reset. This seems to be a common problem for titles from Grim’s Studio. I’ve complained about piss poor save-functionality before, I had hoped they learned their lesson. Points are collected by removing spirits during “rites”. If you fail a rite, you lose all your points! You should be allowed to keep your points; rites are incredibly tedious, and sometimes you only need a few points to progress. Spirits always spawn in the same places, nearly negating the need for a controllable camera. What’s the point of having a camera if you’re not allowed to use it? On the plus side, I was glad I only needed to put minimal effort into rites (due to the penalty of losing). Every rite plays the same. The only real differences between them are poses. Considering the number of rites you’re forced to do, they get old fast.
Sexual Content: overview (2/5★)
Each character can be completely stripped. Removing their clothes has no effect on gameplay, but it reduces the likelihood of spirits being obscured by loose fabric. There are also four “sex-scenes” — but they’re a joke. In each scene, a character poses naked and repeats an animation. There’s a few tidbits of dialogue, and when she “climaxes” she’ll keel over and completely stop moving (like she’s dead). The animations are intended to be on the receiving end of a male actor, but there isn’t even an option to display a disembodied penis. The models are decent, but the painted-on genitalia is a bit of a turn-off. The sex-scenes are a let-down, but the biggest let-down would be the lack of “gameplay sex”. The story features rapey spirits and a handsy protagonist — but you don’t get to see spirit rape or “get handsy” with the ladies! I wish it was somehow integrated with the main game (taking full advantage of all of those provocative positions!) The ability to grope your subjects while performing “rites” would add a much-needed “dynamic” to the game!
Story: overview (3/5★)
Takeshi is an exorcist, and he’s been employed to exorcise a temple. Maki, head priestess has an embarrassing problem; spirits have invaded her body (and her associates!) These spirits rub and suck every nook and cranny of their bodies. As Takeshi removes him through magical “rites”, his clients can’t help but get a lil’ hot and bothered — they may just need an “extra service” from their exorcist!
Sound: overview (3/5★)
The music is okay, I don’t have any complaints. When performing “rites”, the girls will periodically moan. Most of the time, they’re dead silent — it makes for an awkward, robotic sequence. I wish there was a stronger roster of passive sound effects to liven gameplay.
Visuals: overview (3/5★)
The titlescreen is meh. The main-menu and artwork aren’t too bad, but the screen is cluttered with credits and disclaimers. From the Unity preboot menu, you may adjust display and graphical preferences. From “Settings”, you may adjust audio and language preferences. You may “review” previously unlocked ladies from the “Gallery”, but the camera control is a little wonky. The camera can only be rotated — it can be manipulated using “WASD” keys or the cursor. As a result of the poor camera control, many rites and sex-scenes are difficult to view. I wasn’t fond of the painted-on nipples and genitalia. The models often “float” from surfaces, resulting in many awkward animations. The clipping I witnessed was absolutely horrendous. The lady models were otherwise decent, but the spirits were uninventive. They were so lame! Considering the story, the spirits were a missed opportunity. Think of the tentacles!
Verdict: bleh (2.5/5★)
I don’t recommend this game — wait for updates. Ecchi Spirit ruined my night (and my afternoon the following day). I’m sick of this game! It’s a great idea, but there were a flood of flaws that ruined my experience. The lack of save functionality made me lose sleep (and it forced me to redo content whenever I needed to pack up my PC for work). The visuals are serviceable, but copy/pasted animation bothered me. Everybody moves and reacts the same way! The sexual content is disappointing, and it takes a long-long time to grind for. It’s not the worth the frustration whatsoever. I didn’t enjoy the writing (but the premise is great). Today, I’m happy to be done with this game. The screenshots make it look fun, but trust me — it needs more time in the oven. Maybe Grim’s Studio will fix it!
