Crimson Colosseum is a lewd, turn-based RPG about a gladiator that must secure her freedom in twenty todays — or become a sex-slave until the day she dies.
Adult Content?
(FxM) sexual content.
Censorship?
No. Woot! Woot!
Hours of Gameplay?
Six or seven hours.
Patch Available?
Download from Kagura.
Foreword
I received a free copy of this game for review purposes — thanks Kagura Games! For the purposes of this review, I will only be discussing the patched game.
Gameplay: overview (3/5★)
You have twenty days to defeat eight designated warriors. Each character has one or more gimmicks, which may require some preparation if you’re not able to overpower them. There’s a variety of skills and items that are intended to counter specific foes. If you’re defeated, you’ll have to start a new game (but you’ll get to carry over your stats and items). Despite my best efforts, I was unable to defeat the sixth boss by the end of my first playthrough. It’s clear that you’re intended to lose the game; each restart offers the possibility of farming experience and rare items. I had to replay the game three times before I was able to see the end (and I barely survived the last few fights). There are two ways to attack; “slashing” provides reliable damage with no extra effects; and “skills” provide a variety of effects, such as healing or the possibility of increased damage. Skills are assigned to “pips” on a die, and they are randomly selected. The number of skills you may take into battle are limited by your “EP”, which can never be increased. If you take too many expensive skills, you’ll have to face the possibility of “missing” your attacks (leaving your fate your RNG). It’s best to improve your core stats via training and “bouts” (battles without game-overs) so that you won’t have to roll any dice. . . if there’s enough time.
Sexual Content: overview (4/5★)
There are twenty-three sex-scenes. Nine of them are relegated as “game-overs”, and the rest are hidden throughout the explorable world. Most of the sexual content are rape scenes of no benefit; only a few scenes offer rewards (such as useful items). There is no “corruption” mechanic (where the protagonist learns to enjoy rape). If you can’t stomach humiliation and sexual torture, you aren’t gonna like the heavy subjects that pervade Sachi’s mind. Most enemies will attempt you rape you during combat; you’ll need to press one or more arrow keys in rapid succession in order to escape. If you fail to evade, you’ll to forced to orgasm — rendering you weaponless and unable to act for multiple turns. Against stronger foes, a single wasted turn is a surefire way to be defeated. I found the combat-rape to be an annoying “mechanic”. You have to participate in a lot of battles, and these so-called “quick time” events make grinding a little worse. Considering losing a battle can sometimes mean restarting the entire game, you’re not encouraged to “enjoy” the rape mechanics. I enjoyed the artwork, but I wish more CGs featured backdrops (instead of displaying the map). The sex-scenes are pretty hot but they’re short-lived. If you have any plans for fapping to Sachi’s defeat, it’d better be quickie.
Story: overview (3/5★)
Captured for the entertainment of perverted spectators, Sachi is forced to fight anybody willing to pay for an audience. If she is defeated, her body will become property of the victor. As a new member of the “red collars”, Sachi has twenty days to defeat eight customers. If she fulfills her obligations, she’ll be released. Reuniting with her father may seem like a pipe dream, but if anyone has the ambition to win, it’s Sachi. Or perhaps, it’s best to give into pleasure and throw the fight to a “handsome man”.
Sound: overview (4/5★)
There’s a fantastical music selection; they offer a sort of “retro RPG” vibe. The battle jam is memorable, failing to leave my head long after my “bouts” with rapey drunkards and abusive brawlers. Although, cool as it was I wish there was more battle beats. I was surprised to hear no moans or sexy-sounds. I guess it’s hard to fine actors to pretend to be raped?
Visuals: overview (4/5★)
I wasn’t impressed by the titlescreen. Enokippu tried to craft a stylistically interesting piece, but it seems out of place. I think I’d prefer something more “revealing” for what’s to come. Using the “F1” key, you may toggle audio and control preferences. The game can also be borderless-fullscreened via the “F1” menu, but only on-boot. There is no in-game menu for adjusting user-preferences. Once you see at least one “game-over”, you’ll gain access to the “Trapped in Time” room. This room not only grants “new game plus”, it also serves as a gallery to review sex-scenes. This room can also be accessed in-game from the pool area inside Sachi’s dormitory. I couldn’t figure out a way to hide the user-interface while viewing sex-scenes. Most of the time, you’re able to right-click or press a designated button to get a better view. The user-interface looks great, but it’s not always easy to navigate (namely, the skill screen) — the roundabout navigation seems to be a limitation of RPGMaker. Otherwise, Crimson Colosseum offers average visual content. The sprite work is standard among RPGMaker games, and the enemy variety left a lot to be desired.
Verdict: no more new games pls (3.5/5★)
I’m seldom disappointed by the games Kagura Games sends me — but unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed by Crimson Colosseum. Five hours of samey content ruins the overall experience. When I play games, I’m not interested in working — Crimson Colosseum is a slow slog. It’s impossible to beat the game on a single playthrough. You’re going to die, and you’ll have to replay the entire as you carry over and build-upon your stats. This “mechanic” is problematic because the game doesn’t change. Each playthrough is exactly the same as the last — at best, you’ll get to see a new sex-scene before you’re forced to start over. My thumb is sore from how long I had to hold down the “CTRL” button (to skip text and speed-up combat). The RNG is infuriating — I swear, the “dice” system is rigged. Unless you’ve spammed “training” to the point you’re nearly over-powered, you’ll have to make do with randomized skill-based attacks (or grind to unlock skill-based attacks). The gameplay isn’t that bad, it’s just not suitable for replay. Once I finished searching the world for quests and hidden items, I dreaded the game. Once I learned the sequence of keys I needed to spam “training”, I tuned into YouTube until I was ready to beat the game (and finish this review). Honestly, Crimson Colosseum needs a whole lot of variety before it’s worth a playthrough (or four). Until then, I’d wait for updates (or at the very least, a good sale — the sex-scenes are kind of hot!)
