G-senjou no Maou – The Devil on G-String

Developer: AKABEiSOFT2 | Publisher: Sekai Project | Release Date: 2015 | Genre: Visual Novel | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam / Denpasoft

To outsiders it might seem like Kyousuke, the protagonist of G-Senjou no Maou, has a pretty easy life. Despite frequently skipping school he has no problem keeping up good grades and lives in a luxury apartment. Kyousuke also appear to have no trouble attracting girls, which further adds to his playboy appearance. However, what most people don’t know is that Kyousuke is the adopted son of an infamous gangster for who he does part-time work. This double life places a lot of stress on Kyousuke as does his tragic past. Kyousuke finds his world thrown into further turmoil when a strange girl named Usami Haru joins his school. Usami appears to have some type of connection with an international criminal known only as Maou and soon Kyousuke finds himself drawn further into a web of violence, betrayal and vengeance.

The Devil on G-String is a Japanese visual novel that took its sweet time to get an official western release, but thanks to Sekai Project it is finally a reality. Although it has been a while since the original release the story still holds up very well and certainly ranks right up there with the best in the genre. It is also a very lengthy visual novel with multiple routes, but we can’t reveal too much about the plot as it is worth experience firsthand. Suffice to say that the storyline is engrossing and that the game features a very interesting cast of characters. Characters are all very fleshed out, but players will definitely have to complete the game multiple times to see everything that it has to offer.

The main storyline, which is spread across five chapters, is a rollercoaster ride of kidnappings, hostage situations, death threats and other action packed situations, while some of the side routes are considerably more sedate. The game delights in surprising players with plot twists and while a few were a little obvious we also encountered some that left our heads spinning. In typical manga fashion some suspension of disbelief is required to appreciate a few of the more outlandish scenarios, but all in all the story had us hooked from start to finish. Completing every single route in the game is something that takes many, many hours even if you are a fast reader, so there is certainly value for money here.

One thing that might displease fans who are familiar with the game is the fact that all the h-scenes were cut for the Steam release. We have never played the original, but the removed content doesn’t appear to have hampered the story much. There are a few instances where it is obvious that a scene got cut or shortened, but we can’t say that it detracted much from our experience. The game still contains plenty of swearing and other adult themes, so it was only the sex and nudity that got removed.

G-senjou no Maou features a great art style and age has done nothing to diminish this. The visuals are also now in widescreen, which is a step up from the original 4:3 resolution. While this allows a better view of the characters and backgrounds it unfortunately also means that the original CGs have been cropped at the top and bottom. The interface is slick and easy to navigate with all the major options, such as saving and loading accessible from the bottom of the screen.

As the name suggests, music plays an important role in the story and the soundtrack of the game certainly does not disappoint. Most of the tunes in the game are classic songs, but they have all been remixed in new and unique ways. Some of the tunes get played a lot due to how long the game is, but almost all of the tracks are very good. Each time a new track is played the title and classic song that it is based on is displayed, which is a nice touch.

Interestingly enough G-senjou no Maou is available on Steam in voiced and unvoiced format. The voiced version features the high quality, original Japanese voices, but the price is almost double that of the unvoiced version. Hats off to Sekai Project for giving buyers a choice between the two as we know not everyone will feel that the voices are worth such a big investment. Players who opt for the unvoiced version can also purchase the voice pack at a later date as DLC if they so wish.

Overall we cannot recommend G-senjou no Maou – The Devil on G-String enough to fans of the genre. It is simply one of the most gripping and entertaining visual novels available on the market. If we have any complaints it is that the parts of the story that takes place at school is not nearly as interesting as the events that take place elsewhere. Kyousuke is definitely one of the better visual novel protagonists we’ve encountered and doesn’t fall into the typical clichéd category. Many visual novels try to make the protagonist an almost blank slate in order for players to relate to him, but Kyousuke is a fully fleshed out character with a very complex personality. The villain of the story also provides plenty of interesting moments and the female characters, especially Usami Haru, also stand out from the crowd.

G-senjou no Maou – The Devil on G-String might not be a new game, but thanks to Sekai Project it will be the first time that many Western players get to experience it. It would have been nice if an uncensored version was also available, but even with the removed H-scenes the game is still phenomenal. The story remains gripping despite a few slow sections and there are plenty of good as well as bad endings. Experiencing all the routes in the game will require quite a bit of time, but it is well worth the effort. Simply put this is an essential purchase for all fans of the genre.