Lux Pain Guide and Review

Straight from Japan comes a new obscure, role-playing game, complete with beautiful artwork and complex, vivid characters. Play Atsuki Saijo, a telepath from the organization FORT, as he attempts to rid humanity of a parasitic worm, called SILENT, that causes violent tendencies in its host. Traveling to historic Kisaragi City after a tragic SILENT infection in Shanghai, Atsuki's mission is to find the "Original" SILENT, from which all of the other infections have stemmed, and exorcise it. Even after finding the Original, however, Atsuki must confront the evil group PHANLANX and then a crazed FBI agent who seeks to plunge the world into darkness by using the power of SILENT.

Developer: Killaware

Platform: Nintendo DS

Input method: Nintendo DS stylus

ESRB Rating: T

Genre: Adventure-Mystery

•  Lux Pain game cartridge
• Instruction booklet
• Lux Pain art booklet

(See bottom of page for video of Lux Pain unboxing)

 FORT: An organization dedicated to the eradication of SILENT. Atsuki, Natsuki, Raye, Liu Yi, and Nola are all members.

SILENT: A parasite that infects humans and causes violence and depression.

Sigma (Σ): The power used by telepaths of FORT.

Shinen: Strong feelings, either residual or within, that exist within a person and can be uncovered by Atsuki's Sigma.

PHANLANX: A group that wants to work with SILENT to achieve a higher world order. Exposed towards the end of the game.

Shanghai Incident: A SILENT infestation in which one man infected over 10,000 people. The source of the infection has been traced to Kisaragi.

"Sweeper": A Sigma user who can exorcise SILENT by destroying the mind of the infectee.

 Very simple--use your stylus to navigate through Kisaragi, uncover Shinen, investigate crime scenes, and battle SILENT. You'll want to make sure your touch screen is calibrated and up to optimal performance to avoid unnecessary irritations. You don't want to be fighting the final boss and have your touch screen become unresponsive, trust me.

 Atsuki Saijo: The protagonist, and the character you will play. A telepath whose parents and sister were victims of SILENT. After undergoing a Sigma transplant, he seeks to destroy SILENT utterly.

Natsuki Venesfkuja: A telepath who can locate people by searching for their Shinen. Seems to have a crush on Atsuki.

Nola Dobreiner: A FORT executive who supports Atsuki by providing him with information for his cases. He reports back to her every night.

Raye Platiere: The stoic and good-natured commander of FORT.

Liu Yi: A "sweeper," or telepath who destroys SILENT by crushing the minds of the infectees. Works very closely with Atsuki.

Mika Nozaki: A girl from Atsuki's school. She works for Seagull Broadcasting and wants to become a reporter. For some reason, she is the frequent target of SILENT attacks.

Rui Yamase: A psychic who becomes Atsuki's close friend. It is she who realizes who Atsuki really is at the end of the game. She won't look at her friends' futures for fear of seeing how they will die.

Akira Mido: A violent, frustrated young man whose temper is calmed when he is with Atsuki. Childhood friend of Mika's and a practioner of the martial arts. His father owns the shop Sweet Ring.

Nami Kamishiro: A young telepath (she is not connected to FORT) whom Atsuki meets in Episode 00, where she is investigating the apartment of a suspected animal killer. She has the ability to talk to animals and will play a significant role throughout the game. Considers Atsuki a big brother of sorts. She runs around town with a dog named Melody.

Yayoi Kamishiro: Nami's elder sister, one of the first SILENT victims Atsuki rescues. She loves art and is very quiet, but has a strong heart. Atsuki seems to think she's very pretty.

Shinji Naruse: A brilliant young man who specializes in hacking and creating viruses. He uncovers valuable information pertaining to Atsuki's second case in Kisaragi. Often plays hooky and worries his teachers.

Ryo Unami: A steadfast bookworm who owns the shop Tohodo across from Atsuki's apartment. Very intelligent.

Hibiki Kiryu: Appears halfway through the game after rescuing several students in a holdup. Duels Liu Yi. He is Ryo's old friend, but they are so close that they are mistaken for a homosexual couple by a nurse.

Takuya Inoue: A classic nerd-type who is viciously bullied at school. Atsuki extracts from him a very vicious Shinen. Keeps a diary that is more like a hitlist containing the names of those who have been cruel to him.

Kei: A young boy to whom Rui feels a strange connection. His true identity will be revealed towards the end of the game.

Yamato, Aoi, Takano, and Arthur: Several of Atsuki's teachers at Kisaragi. At the beginning of the game, Arthur appears to be ill and has not been going to school. Yamato is notoriously angry, Aoi is too stern, and Takano is borderline insane. All but Yamato genuinely care about the well-being of their students.

Lil: A mysterious little girl with whom Aruther has a strange connection. Pay careful attention to her.

The best points of this game--the many vivid characters, the unique idea and storyline, and the light-hearted and loveable dialogue. Unfortunately, the game gets somewhat repetitive--be prepared to do the same thing over and over for a great many episodes. The dialogue itself was also poorly translated--turn up the volume to see if the characters are speaking aloud, as their vocalizations often differ from the text.

If you are willing to suffer the lack of variety in the gameplay itself, the story alone is enough to want to finish the game. It moves fast, with new discoveries opening up with every episode. Not only that, but the player is in control of Atsuki's relationship with the other characters using the Emotion System and some response options.

It is advisable to take notes occasionally while playing this game. If not, be sure to utilize FORT's extensive database if you need a reminder on any topic.

Overall-- (out of 10)

Storyline: 9

Characterization: 9

Gameplay: 5

Translation: 3

Plot resolution: 9

Graphics: 8

Voice work: 9

It's really a good game, well worth the purchase if you have a lot of downtime. It gets addictive, so be prepared to spend a lot of time on your read end.