Love3 Cubed Review

Love3 -Cubed-

Steam Review

I have to give it to those that developed this VN. They have done an excellent job on the story, character development, character artwork (using 2D-Live) and the overall feel of the VN was done well. The voice-overs were done well and the music was great. I honestly can't say one bad thing about this VN when it comes to the core concepts of what went into this VN.

I found it an interesting take on the life of a Manga artist and even though it was way out there as far as the 'love development' went, it is a refreshing look at 'haremesq' like content that I have seen in a while. We all see harem's in anime, manga, and VN's but seldom does it end with the protag ending up the way this one did. I must say that I enjoyed the ending of this VN.

The only Con I really have is the lack of choices and multiple endings...and why can we not find people out there to voice over in English? That said...that is a personal thing and not something I would hold against this VN at all. 

I look forward to seeing what else this company can do and what other VN's they can make.

Extended Review

So what makes Love3 Cube unique? What is so special about this VN that I am adding an extended review section? Well, let's be honest this VN covers a wide range of topics and things that you just don't see in many VN's currently. Now before you read much further be forewarned...there are going to be spoilers here so if you would rather play the game first then come back to read the review that is entirely up to you but, to be honest, even if you kind of know how the game goes and how it takes a few turns here and there...I promise you it will be well worth playing anyway.

You play as the protagonist (a man) that is a low budget starving Hentai Artist that is struggling to make ends meat with his work. Enter his PR Rep Akira a bust older woman that has been with the protag for a couple of years as she was the one that scouted him out. 

Akira works with the protag to get his work out into the public eye and to bring his work to the company he works for to be put into article format and to be placed into a spread with other works of Hentai with the hopes of one day being recognized and getting his own publication. However, after 2 to 3 years he has yet to get anything published further than his publication in the companies article spread. This has, in turn, made it where he is broke and relies on Akira to help him from time to time especially when he enters a state where he apparently eats tissues. Akira is a firebrand of a woman with a history in the world of martial arts and a champion at that. She has the attitude of someone that puts on a brave front and pushes herself far beyond her limits to help the ones she cares for.

After some time Akira approaches him about a job opportunity that was posed by the Editor in Cheif of the company they work for. She suggested that he become the assistant to the number one Hentai writer/artist in their company in the hopes that he would be able to learn what it is that he lacks in his own works. At first, he seems to think it would be a bad idea...but after some pushing by Akira, he realizes that it would actually be in his best interest to do as they ask of him. It would be like getting free lessons from the 1st rank Hentai creator one that makes real money. So he accepts and Akira and he set off to meet the number 1 who goes by a different name to protect her identity. In fact, the Hentai Community believes that the person is a guy...in reality it is a girl.  

Enters Iori, the number 1 Hentai artist/writer in the community and one that brings home the most profits for the company and therefore she lives in complete luxury. Apparently, Hentai is a big business...which should tell you a lot about the industry as a whole. That said Iori is a unique case. She is a shut-in and therefore she has no people skills and tries to avoid leaving the comfort of her home or the apartment office she rents out to do her work in. She gets major anxiety attacks when she is forced to interact with people she doesn't know and in several instances, she has to be drug out by a friend of hers to just go get her hair done at the local salon. 

Iori is a mild and meek girl that has a past with the protag. When in grade school they lived as neighbors and because of the protag Iori found out she had the talent to draw Manga style art and use to spend their childhood days watching anime, reading manga, and spending time drawing manga with one another. However, her parents moved away and she and the protag separated for 10 years. She holds the protag in high regard and has held a deep affection for him since the time they had to part ways. She sees the protag as the one that got her into the art of drawing manga and that because of him she's able to live a very comfortable life for a shut-in. She also has a deep fondness for him which grows as the VN goes on.

Enter Nodoka, a young vibrant very energetic girl that lives a double life. On one hand, she is the other Assistant to Iori and helps her with all of her art including background drawings as well as helps her keep her social media feeds alive. She is very up on technology and is a whiz with computers. Nodoka is also a dojin artist and not just an artist but the number 1 dojin artist for a company called, 'SoggyPanda'. For those not sure what a dojin is...it is basically hardcore hentai. It covers genres and areas of sexuality that even hentai's don't touch but more importantly it is seen as an amateur circuit where the authors themselves have full control over every aspect of their works from creation to production to sales.

Nodoka is the opposite of Iori but also has a softer side but she is a full-throttle girl that enjoys a good tease and a good laugh at the expense usually of Iori. Because of her involvement with the dojin scene she uses a false name there as well so she works as Iori's assistant without the worry about causing problems.

Nodoka and the protag also has a past. In High School, she and the protag formed a Manga Club and were the only two members. They used their club time to draw manga's and practice their respected art forms. Much like Iori she gained a sense of respect and encouragement from the protag and his involvement with her artwork and helping her find the career she could excel in. She refers to him as "Senpai" and regards him in high regard.

With these three women in his life and the craziness that ensues including a talking black cat he named "Blackie" that apparently is a messenger of the Gods. He is told about a rare occurrence that has happened when he asked the cat to take a message to the Gods for him. His wish was to keep drawing Manga and to find true happiness. Not long after his wish was made the cat Blackie was asked by each of these girls to also find happiness...which isn't unusual until you realize they each asked Blackie to make them happy with the protag. The Gods hearing this placed his Fate with each of theirs and decided to see what happened.

What happens is a long sorted affair and the story that takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotional feels that at first has you wondering, 'oh no...which girl is he going to get with and which two are going to get their hearts broke.' In a strange turn of events, each member of our harem and protag each have their homes destroyed by water main breaks. Because of that, they all decide to live in the office/apartment with one another. Which leads to some funny and interesting happenings between all the characters. 

As the story progresses you see the ups and downs of the characters, how each has had to deal with their struggles and how each has to overcome their struggles together. Our protag is also dealing with the fact that he has lost his vision of why he wanted to start doing Manga in the first place and how he has been in a state of limbo since his first publication and how he has lost his reason for being an artist. However after several events including dating each girl and doing...more with each girl. He realizes something, that his inspiration is there in front of him and if he wants to make the girls happy he will have to commit to being a better man and start focusing on his work.

He makes a deal with the girls that he would answer which girl he is to be with the day that he reaches number 1 spot for that month and he tells his Editor in Chief his goal is to become number one in sales for a whole year. With that, he sets out to make his mark in Hentai and finally succeeds in becoming number 1 in sales for a month.

Now I could tell you which girl he ends up with...but I find that a picture is worth a 1000 words and this one will be worth much much more. Despite seeing it I highly recommend you getting the VN and playing it yourself. You will enjoy the story, art, and music. Remember this is an Adult VN so there are a lot of sex scenes in this as well which if you get the DLC you can get even more...another highly recommended buy.

If you can't figure it out...he marries all three of them. They agree to a poly relationship and in the end a poly marriage. Yeah...there you go.