Hoshizora no Memoria

Plot

After losing their mother to illness, high school student You Kogasaka and his younger half-sister Chinami return to their childhood hometown of Hibarigasaki to live with their aunt, Shino. This move stirs up memories for You of evenings spent at a local lookout with a white-haired girl. When You had to leave years ago, the girl made him promise to come back and marry her. Now, back in Hibarigasaki, You finds the lookout fenced off and meets a mysterious girl who looks exactly like his childhood friend from seven years prior. She calls herself Mare and says she has been waiting a long time for him. Noticing her strange outfit and large scythe, You calls her a shinigami, a title she adopts. Later, at the lookout, Mare tells You to close his eyes and stabs him in the chest with her scythe. No blood or injury results, but You forgets his childhood friend's name. Mare explains she has "reaped" his nightmare.

At school, You joins the Astro Circle, also called Tenkuru, a club that has been demoted to a hobby circle due to a lack of members. The group includes Asuho Minahoshi, whose family runs a local cafe; Kosame Hisakaki, the younger twin of student council member Komomo Hisakaki; club president Haruto Okaizumi; and third-year Suwa Setsuna, who rarely attends meetings. Setsuna seems to be investigating the lookout where Mare appears, for reasons unknown. The Astro Circle later recruits You's neighbor Isuzu Aoi by building a homemade planetarium that recreates the southern night sky, which Isuzu loves. This success elevates the group to official club status.

One evening, while You, Chinami, and Mare are at the lookout, an unseen figure attacks them. Chinami is knocked unconscious but recovers. The attacker then texts You, asking to meet at the lookout. The attacker turns out to be Kosame, who wants to eliminate Mare, calling her an "illusory dream." Before she can succeed, Komomo intervenes. Kosame later apologizes, and You forgives her. The game offers seven alternate endings, all of which start after Kosame's attack, with the player's choices determining which ending they reach.

Gameplay

In Hoshizora no Memoria, you play as Kogasaka You, a character in a romance visual novel. The main activity involves reading through the story’s narrative and conversations. These are shown with character sprites representing whoever You is speaking to, placed over background art. At certain moments, the game replaces the background and sprites with CG artwork. After finishing the game at least once, an album unlocks that contains a gallery of the CGs you have seen, the background music you have heard, and a "memory mode" that lets you replay the erotic scenes. The story has a branching structure with multiple endings, and your choices during the game determine which direction the plot takes. There are seven storylines to experience, each focused on You falling in love with a different girl. During gameplay, you are given choices, and the text stops until you pick one. To see all storylines completely, you must play through the game several times, making different decisions to steer the plot toward alternate outcomes. On your first playthrough, only the routes for Asuho, Isuzu, and Komomo are open. To unlock Chinami’s route, you must first finish Isuzu’s route. To unlock Kosame’s route, you must finish Komomo’s route. To unlock Yume’s route, you must finish all previous routes. Finally, to unlock Mare’s route, you must finish Yume’s route.

Main characters

You Kogasaka, the protagonist, moves back to Hibarigasaki with his sister Chinami after their mother's death. He recalls a childhood promise with a girl and joins the Astro Circle, also working at the Milky Way restaurant. Asuho Minahoshi, vice-president of the astronomy club, works as a maid waitress at her father's cafe and has hidden feelings for You since childhood. Isuzu Aoi, You's neighbor and a first-year student, initially dislikes the Kogasakas but later befriends them; she has an interest in tarot cards and the supernatural and longs for the southern starry sky from her time in Australia. Komomo Hisakaki, the elder twin and a student council member, has a tsundere personality and dislikes the stars; she is a shrine maiden at Seitengu. Kosame Hisakaki, the younger twin, has a calm and mysterious personality and also serves as a shrine maiden. Chinami Kogasaka, You's little sister, speaks in third person and behaves energetically and childishly. Mare S. Ephemeral calls herself a shinigami and reaps nightmares; she stabs You with her scythe, causing him to forget the name of the lookout girl. Yume Ototsu is the girl You met at the lookout; she had an illness that sent her to the city for treatment but later returned to Hibarigasaki.

Minor characters

Suwa Setsuna is a shrine maiden and cousin of the Hisakakis, dispatched to Hibarigasaki to send off a spirit. Haruto Okaizumi, a third-year student and Astro Circle president, often yells "Shiiiiiiiit!!!!" when upset and has a split personality named Toudou; he aims to become an astronomer at NASA. Souichirou Minahoshi, Asuho's father, owns the Milky Way and was former president of the Astronomy club. Mirai Asuka, a second-year student and friend of You, is president of the Occult Circle. Suzuha Aoi, Isuzu's younger sister, is shy and chronically ill, often missing school; her family returned to Japan due to her inability to handle Australia's desert climate.