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When you think about it, The Quintessential Quintuplets is a perfect anime and manga to dating sim game adaptation situation. We have a number of heroines. For much of the series, there’s the question of which Nakano sister Futaro will end up with at the end. The Quintessential Quintuplets: Memories of a Quintessential Summer gives players a chance to get closer to the sisters, with tutoring playing a part, in the hopes of getting a chance to date one of them.
For those completely unfamiliar with The Quintessential Quintuplets, Futaro Uesugi is hired to tutor his classmates, the quintuplet sisters Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki Nakano. As a reward for the efforts, the young women invite him and his kid sister Raiha to their family’s private island. It’s supposed to be a short jaunt, but a storm leaves them stranded there for two weeks. However, while it’s a potentially harrowing experience, it also gives Futaro a chance to grow closer to the sisters and perhaps even find love with one of them.
The Quintessential Quintuplets: Memories of a Quintessential Summer is an unusual dating sim! It’s basically divided into two parts. In the first half, you need to keep meticulous schedules. You must raise the five sisters’ stats to ensure they can pass a test at the end on various subjects, while also occasionally sending people to gather supplies so there’s always something to eat. For the first half, you need to ensure each of the girls can pass a test with a 60 in each subject. If you do, then you can move on to routes with each sister, a family-route with Raiha, and an “all route” with all the siblings. The second half is a more traditional dating sim visual novel game, which feels like a reward for The Quintessential Quintuplets and is a much less demanding experience.
I did feel that the balancing might be a bit off in The Quintessential Quintuplets: Memories of a Quintessential Summer. Basically, if you let someone’s mood drop too low, they’ll need to recuperate for a time slot. Okay, fine. I’ve played Princess Maker and Idolmaster style games before. I figured that meant losing some morale and some time. No, here that also means a severe stat drop across the board. It happened to me once early on with Miku and Yotsuba, as both were about to dip below 20 mood. Instead of getting some grace period, they immediately took off to relax and came back with some of their 15-17 stats dropped down to 0. It’s a harsh lesson to learn!
It almost feels like it is a lesson you have to learn. Once I did, I found I got into a much better groove as I worked my way toward the second half of the game. The stat requirements aren’t too demanding for a route. In fact, given the way in which affection builds up, it’s very easy to have multiple characters at the necessary relationship level to end up with Futaro. I was able to find a much better balance as I arranged the Nakano sisters’ schedule to ensure they would get a passing score and do well, all while surviving on the island.
Plus, the story and relationship portions of The Quintessential Quintuplets: Memories of a Quintessential Summer are can be quite fun. The “trapped on a deserted island” plotline gives Mages an excuse to focus only on Futaro, Raiha, Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki. The studying and gathering elements also provide opportunities for Futaro to spend time with just one of the sisters, furthering a relationship with them. The CGs are well-executed, and it’s a good amount of fanservice handled well for a series with established, beloved characters. There are some awkward formatting elements though, as sometimes the font in text boxes won’t stay consistent and will shrink to fix everything into them, and every once in a while something might read a bit awkwardly.
The Quintessential Quintuplets: Memories of a Quintessential Summer really sets itself apart with its unique premise that is part tutoring and life management sim, then part visual novel dating sim. It’s true to the series, given there is still that element of helping tutor the sisters. Plus, you absolutely are earning your happy ending here. I enjoyed it, because it’s an approach we don’t often see paired with likable characters and a fun premise, but the approach may make it an acquired taste. Just be sure you really pay attention to the sisters’ stats and make smart choices.
The Quintessential Quintuplets: Memories of a Quintessential Summer is available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC. The anime is available on Crunchyroll. Kodansha handles the manga.
