Shikkoku No Sharnoth Review

Hi Link again and this is another VN review, this time it’s of Liar Soft’s Shikkoku no Sharnoth -What a Beautiful Tomorrow-. This game is a steam punk game, meaning it is set during an industrial period during which steam power was used with certain fantasy elements added into to make it more interesting.

Plot Summary

The Year is 1905, you, the protagonist, Mary Clarissa Christie, live in the city London, an engine capital only second to the nation of Kaddath in the east.  You are a scholar at the Royal College of Scholars and you spend each day happily until one day when you notice that your friend Charlie is depressed, you follow after her one night and confront her, a scream, and it all begins.

“Come if you haven’t given up”

Character Bios:

Mary Clarissa Christie

That it is you, the protagonist, a young girl with heterochromia which has made one of your eyes gold, you are a scholar at the Royal College of Scholars and are studying the Kaddathian language, and you are friends with Charlie and Angie. And also the contractee of M.

Charlotte Bronte

Mary’s best friend and also a fellow student at the Royal College of Scholars, she seems to give off the air of being an older sister, both to Angie and Mary. She seems to constantly be going to Professor Capek’s research group, just what is going on with those two?

Angelica Derleth

A friend of both Mary and Charlie, she is generally treated as the little sister of the group, despite being classed as more perceptive than both Mary and Charlie. She is courting Howard Phillips at the moment and is eagerly awaiting a proposal.

M

A cold, unfeeling man who’s emotions are not shown at all. He is a member of the Society however he seems to have his own objectives which are out of the line with what the Society has planned. Despite what Mary thinks of him, everyone who knows him sees him as a nice person.

Colonel Sebastian Moran

The female colonel with a man’s name, she is the companion of M and is working alongside him to help him achieve the aim of which no one know but the two of them. She seems to hold feelings towards M though she is unwilling to admit it to herself.

Arthur Conan Doyle

A mysterious man who talks very little, he runs a small bookshop on the square mile, which is usually frequented by members of the Society, which he is a part of.

Sherlock Holmes

The man who is described as the one who knows all that goes on in London. He employs orphans which he calls the Baker Street irregulars. Sherlock seems to know more than he is letting on and seems to be an associate of the Society

Josef Capek

Josef Capek is a lecturer at the Royal College of Scholars, he runs the research that Charlie is a part of, though no research has been seen being released from it. Capek always seem to carry around a bag with him, why does he?

Winston Churchill

A charismatic individual who is well liked within the aristocratic world despite being a middle class trader. His words seem to have a strange power over people and he is easily able to bend people to his will through his words. He seems to have a grand plan, which no one knows but him

Bram Stoker

The owner of the local theatre and the author of Dracula, Bram Stoker adapts many works of Shakespeare so that the young will be interested in them, he seems to have a secret which he is unwilling to tell anyone

Jane Doe

Not her real name of course, Jane Doe is one of the Society’s assassins who carries out her missions with great precision and finds great joy in carrying the Society’s orders

Baron Münchausen

Another leader of the society, however he is not one of the professors like Moriarty, he is something else entirely. He seems to hold contempt for humans and the emotions that they feel. He is a charismatic individual and dangerous as well.

James Moriarty

Moriarty is one of the three Professors of the Society and is the last remaining one alive; he is heard more than he is seen in this VN.

Ratings

Music

The music in Shikkoku no Sharnoth is extremely good and it seems that there is a track for every potential situation. I would give the music of Shikkoku No Sharnoth an 8/10

Characters

The characters in Shikkoku no Sharnoth were, in my opinion, extremely well developed. Really enjoyed the references to various literary works such as Sherlock Holmes, really well done and they made them seem as though they are in place. I would give the Characters of Shikkoku No Sharnoth 9/10

Story/Plot

The story of Shikkoku no Sharnoth was initially very ambiguous at the beginning but as it goes on it gets more fleshed out and it becomes more focused. I would give the Story of Shikkoku no Sharnoth

Gameplay

Shikkoku No Sharnoth has an interesting mini game which makes up a core part of the story, let me just say it will take some getting used to, the objective is to collect 4 ‘screams’ and then head to the blue portal.  I will admit that it is hard, but it is fun. I would give the gameplay of Shikkoku No Sharnoth a 7/10

Artwork

I would say that the artwork in Shikkoku No Sharnoth was pretty good, looked beautiful and crisp and it definitely suited the mood of the entire game, might pick up another steampunk title if they're like this in their calibre of artwork and story. I would give the artwork of Shikkoku No Sharnoth a 8/10

Conclusion

In conclusion I see Shikkoku No Sharnoth as a definite must play for any VN player, some of the references are very British, and I’m guessing the guy who developed it was a complete Anglophile, so it does help if you have read some Sherlock Holmes.

In conclusion I would give Shikkoku No Sharnoth a 9/10

If you are interested in playing this game you can download it from:   http://erogedownload.com/downloads/shikkoku-no-sharnoth/