Raising simulation games are pretty rare, even in Japan. Surprisingly enough, this one was made in Hong Kong!
Lair Land is a game with both raising sim and adventure / visual novel elements in a fantasy setting. The point-of-view character Herol is charged with taking care of Chilia, a mysterious girl who lost her memory. The raising sim part is quite similar to the Princess Maker series, with numerous stat-altering jobs, classes, vacations and even contests to participate in, things to buy and people to befriend.
Lair Land has several features not commonly found in other raising sims – in addition to the standard jobs and classes, Chilia can spend her time restoring various buildings around the town, which was devastated during the last war. This activity brings little or no money, but is crucial for advancing the story, getting bonus points, and increasing Chilia’s popularity among the townspeople. Another interesting feature is the bonus point system itself – upon completing the game, the player earns a certain amount of points that can be used for unlocking new hairstyles and outfits which not only alter Chilia’s appearance, but also influence her mood.
The game’s underlying storyline is explored in the adventure part, where Herol and Chilia visit locations around town and talk to various characters. Even without the raising sim gameplay, this part alone could be considered a pretty standard full-length visual novel with romantic elements (Herol and Chilia can either end up together or get an ending with someone else!)
As one would expect from a raising sim, this game has multiple endings – tens of different story, career and marriage endings – which would make it highly replayable if it weren’t for the unfortunate fact that it completely lacks a skip function. In other words, anyone trying to collect all the endings will have to go over the same dialogue over and over again. That being said, the game is not unreasonably long (it spans four years of Herol’s and Chilia’s life together), so the above-mentioned problem is relatively tolerable.
Note: the full name of the game is “Lair Land 蘭島物語 少女の約定” (Chinese language (old characters) PC version) or “レアランドストーリー” (Japanese PSP version).
Discuss Lair Land (raising sim) here.
