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II. Game Description
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Shinichi Kashiwagi is lost in life. Dissatisfied with the direction his
academic life was taking, he takes time off mid-semester and heads up
into the mountains to try and find himself. As luck would have it, Japan's
worst typhoon is about to make landfall. Unknowingly, Shinichi overstays
in the mountains, and gets caught in the storm. In the chaos of wind and
rain, he flies off a sheer cliff and comes crashing down to the rocky
ground below.
When he awakens, he discovers that he is in a mysterious Mansion.
Many other people are living here, but no one can seem to answer
his questions about the place. Frightened, Shinichi tries to leave,
but the Front Gates don't open. The Mansion, he discovers, holds its
prisoners captive. The others have all given up, they are resigned to
stay inside the Mansion for eternity rather than face what awaits them
on the other side of those Front Gates. Does Shinichi have the strength
to escape from the illusionary Mansion, or will he remain its
prisoner for all time?
Nocturnal Illusion is a point-and-click menu driven adventure game.
You decide where Shinichi goes inside the Mansion, and who he interacts
with.
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III. System Requirements
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Operating Systems: Windows 95/98/Me/XP
Processor: Pentium II200MHz or faster
Memory: 16 MB of RAM (or more)
CD-ROM: 2X CD-ROM
Sound Card: SoundBlaster PRO or 100% Compatible sound card
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IV. Cast of Characters
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Shinichi Kashiwagi
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Shinichi is/was a law student at Toshima University in Tokyo. Mid-semester,
he decided to take some time off from school to find himself. Out in the bleak
wilderness, he suddenly finds his life is at a crossroads. After the accident,
he's not sure how to proceed. Maybe the illusionary Mansion can help him to
find himself?
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The Mistress
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The Caretaker of the Mansion, and a very mysterious woman. despite her position,
she knows little to nothing about the true nature of the Mansion. She inherited
her job from the previous caretaker, who escaped from the Mansion years ago when
someone appeared who could create the 'wind of change'.
------
Miwako
------
Miwako works as a maid in the Mansion. Her bashful nature causes
her extreme discomfort when she first meets Shinichi. Beneath her
mild exterior, she hides a truly dark secret...
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Maya Okazaki
------------
Maya was a reporter for a news magazine in Tokyo. She's probably
the only person to ever intentionally seek out the Mansion on
purpose. Her competitive attitude gives her personality a harsh,
grating edge. She claims to hate men, but surprisingly she gets
along well with Shinichi. Almost too well...
--------------
Kunio Kusayama
--------------
A typical hard-drinking Japanese businessman. Kusayama was a computer
programmer, until one night on his was home from one too many at the
pub, he took a nap on the yellow line in the middle road, and woke up
inside the Mansion. As the only other man around, he looks to Shinichi
for companionship, but Shinichi doesn't share his love of perversion
and all forms of alcohol.
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Yukina
------
The mysterious beauty who lives in the Room next door to Shinichi.
He whole demeanor puzzles Shinichi, as she is terrified of him and
runs away screaming. What could have happened to her to cause such
trauma?
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Misao
-----
A red-haired tomboy with a huge chest, a goofy smile, and a much
too forward and outspoken personality for normal tastes. She loves
teasing Shinichi by pulling childish pranks, which leads him to
wonder just how old she really is...
----
Sari
----
While walking through the garden at night, Shinichi runs into a
woman who makes him stop dead in his tracks. With ankle-length
silver hair, and a flawless pale complexion, Sari is hauntingly
beautiful. Her beauty is even more enhanced by the moonlight.
Shinichi quickly discovers that she only appears for him a night.
Where could she possibly go during the day?
----
Yura
----
A tragic beauty straight from a feudal fairy tale, Yura is every
bit the traditional Japanese woman. Always wearing her starch
white kimono, she is a prisoner of the past. Can Shinichi
discover a way to set her free?
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Arisa
-----
They say that the heart of a child produces the purest souls, and if
that is true, then none are more pure than Arisa. From the moment
she first appears inside of his daydreams, Shinichi is vexed with
her beauty. Later, when he finally meets her, he can hardly believe
that it is the same girl. Can this naughty child really be the
goddess from his dreams?
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V. Game Soundtrack
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The game has a fairly decent OST, though it gets very repetitive over time.
The songs are listed in the order given under the BGM option:
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Lyric - This is the song that you will hear most often throughout the game.
Illusory Nocturne - The music that plays at the title screen. This also plays
during the ending sequence.
Elegy - You'll also hear this one a lot while exploring the Mansion. It has a
light, airy tone.
Ragtime - As the name suggests, this is a ragtime piano piece. I'd also label
this one as Misao's theme song. Not only does it play almost every time you
see her, it also fits her personality.
Baroque - The third 'Mansion Theme', and potentially the most annoying.
Normally I enjoy Baroque, and this song was no exception, until I heard
it for the 100,000,000th time.
Afraid Time - This music plays when Shinichi is, well, afraid.
Dance of Flame - Oh yeah! Danger music with FLARE! This one plays when the shit
has hit the fan. Probably my second-favorite of the lot.
Nocturne for Love - This is Nocturnal Illusion's equivalent to sex music. Plays
whenever you are 'helping' a girl to overcome her problems *wink*. Granted, it's
not Barry White, but it's not that bad.....okay, it is. Just turn the volume
down and put something else in your CD player.
Fairy's Waltz - This is my favorite song in the game. This is Arisa's theme
song, and boy did they pick the right one. Fits her mischievous personality
like a charm.
Sunrise - I guess this is supposed to be victory music? This plays a few times,
most notably when Red Hood is 'cured'.
Staff Roll - The music that plays when the credits roll. Personally I think that
they could have done better.
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VI. Area Maps
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I listed all of the areas if interest, which are points to which you will have
to go at some point during the game. once you become familiar with the layout,
it is not hard to find your way around. If a Room is blank, it means that it
is empty or locked, and has no relevance to the story.
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-----------
First Floor
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To
Basement
^
|
___________ ____________
|Mistress| | | | Bathroom|
| | |____________| |___ |
| | | | | | |
|________| Dining Room ___|____|
|Miwako | |_____ _____| | Sari |
|________ _____ _____ ______ |
| | | Lobby | | Maya |
|___________|_____ _____|____________|
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Second Floor
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To
Attic
^
|
___________ ___________
|Kusayama| | | | |
|________ |____________| ________|
| | | | | |
|
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