Doukoku Soshite...

Overview

Doukoku Soshite... (慟哭 そして…) is an adventure game developed by Data East and Studio Line, with program assistance from Sakata SAS. The title was written by Sakiko Kojima, who had helped pen the scenario of several sound novels including Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi, and featured character designs by Mamoru Yokota, an animator known for his work in the eroge industry and for illustrating the Rune Soldier light novels.

Data East initially released Doukoku Soshite in Japan on February 26, 1998 for the Sega Saturn and later published a "Final Edition" of the game in August, which contained the same game with various package extras. A remastered version of Doukoku Soshite was eventually released by El Dia on April 26, 2018 for the PlayStation 4 and Vita that added additional scenes and restored artwork among other quality of life improvements. This remastered edition was released for the Nintendo Switch as well the following year as a digital download title. A sequel to Doukoku Soshite was also released for the Sega Dreamcast in 1999 called Revive... Sosei, which stared a different cast of characters in a new scenario.

Story

The game begins with a high school student talking to one of his classmates, his childhood friend named Riyo Sasamoto. The two discuss a series of disappearances that have been happening in their town lately while they ride a bus home from school. Suddenly the bus crashes into another car, causing the protagonist to be knocked unconscious by the impact. After awakening, he discovers that he has been taken to an abandoned mansion in the mountains along with Riyo, a few other female classmates, and several strangers. Not only has the group been locked inside the mansion but the building is full of deadly traps setup throughout the building by the kidnapper. Now the protagonist must work together with everyone to navigate the mansion's traps and escape, all while uncovering the mystery behind why they were abducted.

Gameplay

Doukoku Soshite is a "galge," a Japanese term used to describe a game themed around interacting with beautiful women, and features six heroines the player can develop a relationship with depending on their actions. However, the game also mixes horror elements with an escape room setup where the gameplay itself involves the player investigating environments with point-and-click style controls to collect items that are used to solve puzzles and advance the story. The game uses a systems called "TDS," which stands for "Trap Dependent Story," where the player must disarm various traps in order to progress. There are multiple solutions to disarming each trap and the story can branch in different directions based on the method the player uses. The player's actions will also advance time in the game which can lead to certain solutions no longer being available after enough time has passed. If the player makes poor decisions, other characters in the group could be killed including the six heroines, which can lead to different endings based on how many people survive. The ultimate goal is to escape the mansion with all of the characters still alive.

Trivia

• According to Famitsu sales data, Doukoku Soshite was the 73rd best selling title on the Sega Saturn in Japan, with the game selling 104,860 copies as of April 1999.
• Doukoku Soshite's premise and gameplay are very similar to an adult PC title released by Elf Corporation in 1995 called Isaku. Both titles have a student trapped with several female classmates in a building they must escape and Mamoru Yokota even served as the character designer on both titles.