UUUltraC is an 18+ BL visual novel developed by ADELTA and localized by MangaGamer for PC (and Steam). Heavily inspired by tokusatsu media, the game is set in 1970s Japan in a world where battles between heroes and kaiju are the norm. In the midst of all this three couples on different sides of the hero/kaiju conflict struggle to live normal lives.
Game Details
- Fantasy | Boys Love | Action
- Price: $34.99
- ESRB: M (18+) (explicit, uncensored adult content)
- Where to Play: MangaGamer | Steam
- Similar Games: Hashihime of the Old Book Town | Dramatical Murder
The Story
A golden era of artists, actors, and heroes is shaken to its core when kaiju straight out of black & white cinema attack Japan! One couple falls victim to the attacks and must face the reality of the kaiju’s infectious nature turning others into more kaiju and join the fight for acceptance. One couple must deal with the strain and stress of fighting the kaiju and defending the people as the superhero team, Icarus Rangers. And one couple must struggle with their complex relationships with both sides of the kaiju versus hero battles.
With kaiju, heroes, robots, and more abound, you won’t want to miss this homage to classic tokusatsu and its deep exploration of identity and one’s place in the world!
Official Synopsis
I am a huge fan of tokusatsu shows like the Super Sentai series and Kamen Rider series, so this game already had my attention from the start. But, UUUltra C isn’t just your run of the mill homage to the golden age of tokusatsu, but rather surprising (albeit surreal) commentary on the dichotomy between good and evil. In the game, kaiju are the “bad guys” while superheroes like Icarus are the “good guys” and everything within this world is geared towards upholding that status quo.
Kaiju are shunned and vilified while the heroes are praised for their efforts to rid the world of “evil kaiju“. But, the reality is not all kaiju are evil, most of them just want to live their lives like everyone else and the vast majority of kaiju turn against their will, which calls into question the morality of the “heroes”. Rather than outright saying which side is right or wrong, UUUltraC explores the complex issue from both sides, showing how quickly the line between “good” and “evil” can blur.
The game is more of a kinetic novel than a visual novel since there are no in-game choices. It’s divided into three chapters that cover the same period of time from the perspectives of the game’s protagonists: Kagome Shotarou, Choutsugai Shirou, and Sayashi Juurou.
Each chapter delves into the interpersonal drama of its protagonist. In chapter one we follow the honest, justice loving Shoutarou who lives with his mangaka boyfriend, Akira. He desperately wants to be a hero like Icarus, but after getting drenched in kaiju blood he might as well kiss his dreams goodbye. Baby boy just can’t seem to catch a break and when his boyfriend starts acting strange, Shou discovers that he really doesn’t know all that much about his live in lover. This chapter is all about world building, but I did love the relationship dynamic between Shou and Akira.
In chapter two, morally ambiguous photographer Shirou doesn’t care for heroes or kaiju and instead just wants to find a girl named Belle, who he fell in love with as a child. He has deep seeded prejudices against… just about everyone and he is not above doing shady shit to get what he wants. Though when his shady dealings have him crossing paths with Belle again, it isn’t the “warm” reunion he was expecting. This chapter was rough at the start, Shirou is a bigot and says some really offensive stuff about gender and identity and his relationship with his LI is toxic AF.
Lastly, in chapter three we step into the shoes of famous actor, Juurou who plays the superhero Icarus on TV. Despite having the adoration of his fans he’s just kind of going through the motions of his life, being the “hero” others expect him to be. In reality he only cares about one person, his childhood friend Yomi. This chapter explains a lot about the events of the game, and also raises a crap ton of questions, so your mileage may vary. But, Yomi is perfection, just gold star work right there.
The story follows the same events from the unique perspective of its protagonist which helps fill in the gaps in the story between character “routes” and kind of gives you a more complete view of the events of the game. Like Chapter 3 fills us in on some of the things Akira does “off screen” in Chapter 1, while Chapter 2 explains a lot about Shirou’s motivations in Chapter 1, where he’s mostly relegated to a quirky side character role. I definitely has a lot of “OH, NOW THAT MAKES SENSE” moments while playing through the chapters and I will admit it was fun seeing the pieces of the puzzle start to come together (granted the ending still confuses me).
Though, if you are expecting easy answers just because UUUltraC has a linear plot, this ain’t the game for you. I spent much of my playthrough just kind of along for the ride. The fist chapter starts off slow easing you into the world and the characters, but about 2/3 of the way in the plot goes into overdrive. It can be a bit hard to follow at times since the story isn’t necessarily told in order, and the quick jumps between events can give you a bit of mental whiplash. But it more than makes up for it with it’s amazing characters.
If you’ve played Hashihime of the Old Book Town you’re you’ll recognize Rinko Kurosawa’s surrealist storytelling style. And I suppose in a way it is fitting to have characters and plot points whizzing around at the pace of a tokusatsu action scene.
Big props to the music, art design, and visuals. Music in games usually goes over my head a bit, but every track in this game is 🔥. The OP “uprise !!!” is bop, and each ending has it’s own ending theme, but the final ED, ‘Ultra Muted’ is absolutely perfect. There are a lot of CGs in UUUltraC, of course there are your run of the mill character CGs depicting snapshots of the events happening in the story. But, then there are others that look more like a piece of abstract art. Closeups on facial expressions and action points, explosions of color and movement, it feel like you’re watching an action adventure rather than just reading and staring at still images. It’s absolutely gorgeous and experimental in a way that Hashihime only just barely dipped its toes into.
Even during the sex scenes, there’s more of a focus on the emotions of the act than on smut for the sake of smut. For an established couple like Akira and Shou the sex scenes are depicted as more intimate affairs focusing on their faces or their hands on each other’s bodies. While in later chapters (especially during those with dubious/non-existent consent) there are a lot of distorted angles and a focus on the “act” itself. And yes, there are some sex scenes with dubious consent, but for the most part they are treated as non-romantic interactions; it comes up A LOT in chapter two.
I suppose I should touch on the not so great stuff. MangaGamer usually does fairly good localizations, but I did notice a few typos, though not enough to ruin the game. Also while each couple gets an epilogue at the end of their route, the last pair does not and the game just kinda ends on a weird note. But, the JP site has explanations for some of the plot points not “resolved” in the game–granted, I shouldn’t have to rely on the website for stuff like that, it should be in the game. And lastly, there is no CG gallery, so you’d better get them screenshots quick if you want to keep the CGs for yourself.
The Verdict – Is UUUltraC Worth Playing?
After playing Hashihime of the Old Book Town I thought I knew what to expect from ADELTA’s kaiju/superhero themed BL game. But, there is no way to predict the absolute acid trip that is UUUltraC. This game is a whole different beast from Hashihime and I LOVE IT. This game is wild and messy and completely all over the place, but it works. I was literally on the edge of my seat wondering just what the hell the game would throw at me next. It’s a wild ride, but UUUltraC is definitely one worth taking! Please, I hope we get more ADELTA titles in the west!
