Riddle Joker

Riddle Joker is a new Visual Novel that just came out in the past month. I was very excited to see this one come out as I had read over its project data and kept up with its development for a few months. Riddle Joker like most Visual novels I have been playing is deep-rooted in path creation in which the decisions of the main characters will lead you down a path that will result in you ending up with one of the multitudes of girls and endings.

In Riddle Joker, you play as Satoru, a second-year student in a normal school. He of course is the lazy type when it comes to his home life, but that said there is something different about Satoru. Satoru is an 'Astral' which is a person that has a unique power caused by a reaction in the brain caused 'Astur Energy'. While it isn't well known what caused the sudden appearance of this energy it affects every single human on earth. However, not everyone gains or is able to use powers, those that can are referred to as 'Astrals' and they are treated poorly by the rest of society.

Because of the social stigma that is acquainted with being an Astral many at a young age attempt to hide their powers in the hopes of being seen as just 'normal' however not all of them are that lucky. Those that are unable to control their power or are found out by those around them usually end up either on a path of crime, ostracized from society, or disappear. Satoru being an Astral meant that he was treated poorly as a child. Being an orphan he lived in an orphanage and the other children there teased him, treated him poorly, and pushed him to become hostile to others. 

It was during this time that he started to get into trouble and fights on a regular basis. After some time a man that he didn't know decided to adopt him after seeing him fight a group of grown adults to protect a small girl that had been pegged as an Astral. As Satoru grew up he decided to join his dad's line of work. His father works for a secret black op that is tasked to work with the government in the shadows as a means to an end. They are tasked with infiltrating, intel gathering, and 'clean up' of situations that could be seen as unfavorable to Astrals. 

Due to Satoru's Astral ability 'mental manipulation' and special devices and clothing provided to him by the ops group he has become a very effective operative. He has a support person that helps him in his missions as well named Nanami, who is also his adoptive sister. She is also an Astral with 'healing' powers which are rare among many Astral's. 

Satoru and Nanami are pulled from their normal school life and moved to a special school for Astrals and Astral Researchers. They are sent there to infiltrate and to find out information on an Astral that can use a manipulation power similar to that of Satoru but not as powerful. They are given new identities and Satoru is told to hide his power by stating his Astral Ability is simply 'physical enhancement' powers. 

Nanami is the adoptive sister to Satoru. She is a year younger than Satoru and like Satoru had a hard childhood. While Satoru had no parents and was bullied because he was an Astral, Nanami was tormented in a much different way. She was born to a family that despised her because she was an Astral. At an early age, she took an interest in technology and computers. Reading books her father had on programming, technology, computers, and many other technical books she was able to become pretty proficient in the field. 

When she showed her father the work she could do at a young, he acted very proudly of her. However soon she was forced to work day in and day out programming and other computer-based tasks that her father had normally done. Because she was able to do it quickly and with ease, she was making a great deal of money allowing her parents to live pretty much free to do what they want. 

However, that changed when she was finally found by the special ops group after being informed of her performing black market and espionage work that she had been contracted to do through her father. The man that adopted Satoru then decided to adopt her as well. She would later become an agent like Satoru but only as a 'support' personnel. 

Ayase is the Student President and mascot/poster child of the Academy that Satoru and Nanami have been sent to. She appears to be a very charming and helpful person that is willing to do whatever it takes to help others out. However, there is a side of her that no one sees, at least not until Satoru manages to get a glimpse of the true nature of this beautiful girl. And that is a terrifying thing in of itself. As an Astral, she has the unique power to change and redirect gravity.

Mayu is a researcher that has her own lab, that said she is also a student of the Academy. Despite her mature look and appearance which she is older than the rest of the girls shown because she has actually been held back a couple of years. The reason for this I will cover in her own blog post. She also has a history with Satoru that we will also see at that point. She is very smart and brilliant as a researcher and has a reason why she has not yet graduated. As an Astral, she is able to create invisible barriers and make them into any shape she desires. 

Hazuki is the dorm manager of the dorm that Satoru and Nanami both occupy. She is also a 2nd-year student and is in the same class as Satoru. She is a very shy and self-conscience girl that has been brought up in a proper atmosphere. However, this also means she is a bit of a closet pervert and tends to become overly excited, though she is also very sheltered to an extent. As an Astral, she has the ability to use water abilities. She is able to condense water in the air and use them as projectiles or any water mass to create many other things.

Chisaki is in the same class as Satoru's sister and has become Nanami's best friend. Chisaki is very outspoken, outgoing, and all-around happy go lucky. She unlike the rest of the girls that Satoru associates with has no Astral abilities to speak of. She is very dedicated and very understanding and her reasoning for attending the school is one that Satoru looks at highly on. She can also be a bit of a sadist but not too often. 

This Visual Novel has great graphics, good music, and Japanese voice-overs. The game has H-scenes that you can get already installed if you buy direct from the producer and developer sites. Or if you are like me and you got it on Steam, you can go to the Developer's site and download a free 18+ patch that will add all the H-Scenes in. 

At the time of this post, I have finished only one girl's path and that was Mayu. Apparently each girl also has 1 to 2 After stories. I am playing through Nanami's and Chisaki's paths at the moment with me going to start on Ayase and Hazuki's soon.