Desire (video game)

Lore & Background

The story takes place on a remote island named Desire, on which a mysterious scientific research project is conducted that even the employees know little about. The player can choose which character's perspective of the events to follow, chief engineer Makoto Izumi's or her reporter boyfriend Albert Macdgul's.

Desire received an English fan translation, but no official overseas commercial release is widely documented for the original PC-98 version. A remake by El Dia was released in Japan first on PlayStation Vita and PC in April 2017 and on Nintendo Switch in December 2017. Its graphics are based on the artwork of the Sega Saturn version.

Reception scores include Saturn Fan 7.2; Sega Saturn Magazine 7/10, 9/10 and 8/10; and Famitsu 7/10, 7/10, 6/10 and 6/10.

Reader's Guide

Desire holds significance as an early example of a visual novel adventure game that achieved cross-platform and overseas success despite its origins as an eroge. Its narrative structure, allowing the player to follow two different perspectives, was innovative for its time. The game also marks the first collaboration between writer Hiroyuki Kanno and composer Ryu Umemoto, a partnership that would become notable in the visual novel genre. The 2017 remake by El Dia, released on PlayStation Vita, PC, and later Nintendo Switch, demonstrates the lasting appeal of the title, with updated graphics based on the Sega Saturn version. The game's reception, as reflected in various magazine scores, indicates generally favorable reviews, though with some variation across publications.

Did You Know?

• Desire was the first collaboration between Hiroyuki Kanno and Ryu Umemoto.
• The game was originally an eroge for the PC-98 but was later ported without sexual content.
• A remake by El Dia was released in Japan in April 2017 for PlayStation Vita and PC, and in December 2017 for Nintendo Switch.
• The remake's graphics are based on the artwork of the Sega Saturn version.