The Ramen Prince Demo

Owning a business is not something everyone can do, or at least not a successful one. It takes a lot of effort and quite a bit of risk in order to get the desired results, which is why the world is full of failed start-ups and small businesses. Granted, for most people it’s worth a try, especially since it’s a lot more relaxing to be your own boss and be responsible for your own profits and losses.

The Ramen Prince is a visual novel with dating sim elements, in which you have to take care of a small business and pursue a romantic relationship at the same time. The main idea throughout the game is to make the desired choice and steer the plot in one direction or the other, depending on personal preferences. Hence, this means that you can re-play the experience multiple times and witness different routes.

The action takes place in a small Japanese town by the name of Hideka, which is where the main character starts working in a tiny ramen restaurant. Besides tending to customers and making sure the business runs smoothly, you also have to attract the attention of a few pretty girls that visit your establishment. Hence, most of the dialog has you flirting with girls and trying to get their attention.

Since most of the action depends on the choices you make, dialog is a very important part of the game, and it’s a relief that the writing is decent. You can tell that the writers trying to include as much variety as possible in terms of characters and their personalities, so it doesn’t feel like talking to indigo copies with different faces. Granted, don’t expect anything too deep either, because this is still a dating sim, after all.

Lastly, the graphics are worth a mention as well, because the artwork helps a lot with the atmosphere. Every scene is nicely colored to convey the right sentiment, and it comes very close to an actual anime from one of the big studios out there. The soundtrack helps in this regard too, although it can be a bit too alert when the action does not require it.

All things considered, The Ramen Prince is merely a demo at this point, but it shows a lot of promise, especially in the story department. However, the developers could use a helping hand to complete the project, and you can help by participating in their Kickstarter campaign.