Title | Funbag Fantasy |
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Developer | Waffle |
Publisher | MangaGamer |
Release Date | September 9, 2016 |
Genre | Fantasy Eroge Visual Novel |
Platform | PC |
Age Rating | Adults Only, 18+ |
Official Website |
*Links lead to 18+ websites and content, all review images and content are potentially NSFW*
My first attraction to reviewing this game was the title, as you may have guessed right off the bat. Funbag Fantasy has all sorts of potential as titles go, and it turns out that it was definitely descriptive of exactly what it was selling. The second attraction was actually the price point. I have never had a single issue with MangaGamer pricing, in fact I have long considered them extremely reasonable and more than fair with their price structure. They are high enough to make them enough money to keep their company above water and gain new projects, but low enough that there is no real good reason to go the unofficial fan translation route. So when they announced that this game would be a full priced digital release, at $44.95, I was very curious as to what kind of quality they expected for that value.
I’ll start with the characters, and the protagonist is unvoiced and unseen, as happens in almost all Eroge Visual Novels. Lute is a little remarkable beyond this feature, however, in that he isn’t nearly as pathetic or annoying as most other Eroge main characters are. In fact, despite seeming to be very average in many ways (in the beginning), he ends up coming off as quite likeable. This was a very nice change from some of the other protagonists that I have recently experienced. He starts off the game graduating the very last in his class from the Knight Academy, but how his life turns out from that point is largely based on your own decisions.
Lute’s most common and steadfast companion is the succubus Shamsiel Shaharl. Demons were hunted to (what was thought) extinction, so her existence initially takes the hero by surprise and sets him on his path to fame and fortune. Her presence in the story varies in degree depending on which route you pursue (thereby which girls you will be actively pursuing). She has a very prominent influence in all the storylines, at least up to a certain point. But she also does have her own (solo) happy ending.
The lovely knight Isis Petrovna Elenskaya is the next waifu up to bat. That name is intentionally Russian sounding and it receives some brief mention regarding her family origins during her (solo) route. She is very prideful but also very talented, and she graduated as the number two knight in the whole class. However, she has a serious issue with a bit of bipolar personality disorder. She is extremely rude and a bit of a shrew for the lion’s share of almost every story route. But once you are able to flip her switch and get her onto Lute’s side she does a complete 180 degree turn and not only turns out to be very kind, but also very protective of those that she loves. I could have done without her for much of the story, but she was very endearing in the end. So I grudgingly have to admit that it was worth the thorns to get to the petals.
Having graduated at the bottom of his class, Lute was quite justified in believing that he would be relegated to a very unappealing post. He is sent to the very backwater and poor area of Boan. However, it was not a complete loss as there was quite the lovely flower waiting there. Madame Roxanne de Desir is a lower ranked noble that is married to the magistrate of that area. It is a very unhappy marriage, however, and she was only appealing to him for status. As a result she is very lonely when this new knight arrives. She has a very kind and motherly disposition, and the only chance of her ever hurting anyone would be accidentally crushing them with her mighty breasts.
Tutor to the Princess, and personal aide to the Prime Minister, Emeralia is up next. She is the most mysterious character in the entire cast, and for a long time you would think that she is not a romance option at all. I mean, even looking at the above statistics you would see that she has no likes and she dislikes men. This game has a lot of comedy in it, but it’s also quite serious at times. And she is one of the more serious aspects of the entire story, particularly her background. She does not have her own solo route like the other girls listed here, but she is a very important part of the harem route.
Gladys Von Wackenhelm is probably the character in this game that will stay with me the longest. If I was to pick my primary waifu, it would be either her or the succubus Shamsiel. She is quite possibly the greatest warrior in all the land, but continually has to deal with the disappointment in others that she was not born a man, and the expectations due to her father’s legacy. But there is really nothing to dislike about her personality. She has a great sense of humor and responsibility, and little time or desire for deception. Once she becomes enamored of Lute she is gloriously honest about her feelings and desires. And that is a very refreshing female to have in an Eroge from Japan. Any fan knows that characteristic is quite rare.
The Princess Luceria von Diamante is the only daughter of the current King, and the apple of his eye. Even though she is very spoiled, it has not gone to her head at all; she is kind and innocent to a fault. However, her innocence has the ability to disappear in a flash and she has a giant ecchi switch. The reason for that switch being there is a secret, but it is not a secret that she herself is keeping. In fact, there is almost no way that she would be able to keep any secret with how honest and trusting she is. No, the secret is being kept from her, and discovering what it is takes the hero Lute quite a bit of effort.
If you stopped reading the review there you may think that this is just like any other harem Eroge. However, that is not the case. In fact, even beyond the selection of girls you may end up with, there are a ton of other characters that are involved in the story. There may be a lot of beautiful women, but the male characters in the story are very well realized too. Not only that, but there is only one character in the whole game who is not voiced; the protagonist. Even the very minor soldiers and palace guards are all voiced. No doubt much of the budget went into all those voices along with the glorious artwork.
More Bountiful Waifus on Page 2 ->