Musings: The dark side of ‘Hatoful Kareshi’

Hatoful Kareshi/Hato Moa

When it comes to dating sims, “Hatoful Kareshi” is one twisted bag of beans. This rather infamous dating simulator is notorious because as the main character you are trying to date one of several bird characters. No other options available. You have a bad case of “bird flu” and the only cure is getting into some birdie’s nest.

Bad humor aside, what I actually like and recommend about Hatoful Kareshi is its underlying plot, which is not obviously apparent. How does the main character come to live in a world populated by speaking birds? Where are the other humans? What is the secret of the infirmary?  And while my exposure to dating sims is limited, Kareshi has several truly weird story lines.

The plot, if you’re unfamiliar with it, is quite simple. You are a human teenage girl who is attending St. Pigeonation’s Institute for the first time. It’s for the best and brightest birds in the world, and you are the only human on campus. As it’s a dating sim you pick which character you want and get them to return your “feelings.” You can also improve your stats (wisdom, endurance, and charisma) with a few classroom elective options throughout the game (a game mechanic I like).

Hatoful Kareshi/Hato Moa

As a dating sim, it’s pretty straight forward. Just make sure to have the correct replies and stats for the specific guy/birdie. It’s weird seeing birds for the characters, but you get the option to see a human form of most of the characters the first time you meet. The archetypes are pretty standard too.

Of course, I said things can get twisted. As I found out, if you’re not careful you may end up dead with your head in a glass jar (how’s that for love?). Or just as your birdie confesses to you he also explains he’s really a ghost and your love has made him “move on.” If you say the right thing, you can unlock a new character the next time you play and end the game in an ultimate battle between good and evil (pigeon style).

Hatoful Kareshi/Manga Raifu

Some of these aren’t complete surprises if you read the manga. Yes, it has a manga that up until recently was being regularly published by Manga Raifu. The plot focuses more on the characters and the non-romantic plots. The player’s character is present, but never seen. Like the game, the characters are shown mostly as birds with some segments featuring the “pseudo human form.” If you don’t find the right story line in the game, some of the background is revealed here.

So why do intelligent birds with the ability communicate with humans exist? Why do you live in a cave as a hunter/gatherer? Spoiler: a severe version of bird flu wiped out most humans and the counter measure to kill the birds resulted in super intelligent birds developing. For more specifics, you should try the game and/or the manga.