The Valve Corporation has once again demonstrated its “generosity” as the dominant force behind the PC gaming platform that consumers rely on, by hypocritically banning or restricting Japanese game developers from releasing their titles on Steam.
When Eastasiasoft announced that the 2017 dungeon-crawling RPG Tokyo Clanpool would be re-released on PC and Nintendo Switch as part of a partnership with Compile Heart and Idea Factory, I was somewhat excited.
The game had earned niche infamy among Japanese gamers and was one of many titles seemingly abandoned on Sony’s PlayStation Vita. Seeing it revived for modern platforms, and in English, felt like a long-overdue opportunity.
The game takes place in a near-future Tokyo, where a massive structure has appeared, symbolizing chaos following the sudden invasion of dark entities from another dimension. These invaders corrupt the city and threaten to plunge it into darkness.
With the collapse of the Japanese government, players step into the role of Prime Minister Natsume Kannuki, a visually striking young woman who leads her “Diet Dolls” into battle to defend Tokyo.
Tokyo Clanpool combines classic dungeon-crawling gameplay with a unique political and technological setting, as a special task force called the “Cyber Tactics Cabinet,” composed entirely of young women, is formed to become the next generation of political leaders.
Tokyo Clanpool is a first-person dungeon crawler with a unique system that allows players to break walls and floors to navigate through labyrinths filled with enemies, traps, and hidden treasures.
Players can customize their party by assigning various classes and skills, while also incorporating a “political-themed” element that reflects the characters’ roles as government officials. This blend of political and combat abilities offers creative ways to approach battles.
Another standout feature is the tower development system, where players can upgrade their base, the Dark World Diet Tower. Strengthening the tower boosts your political influence and provides resources that aid in combat. These upgrades unlock new abilities, bonuses, and features that directly impact gameplay and increase your party’s power.
Although not a direct simulation of elections, the game’s mechanics focus on building political influence. By defeating enemies and reclaiming territory, players boost their faction’s standing and gain control over Tokyo’s political landscape, by signing bills and giving your opposition gifts.
Narrative choices and character interactions further shape your political clout, allowing you to consolidate power as the story unfolds.
The heroines, representing young political leaders, use weapons and technology that reflect their political ideals. Their battle against the Dark World invaders serves as a metaphor for controlling Tokyo’s future and restoring government authority.
The game blends governance and combat, emphasizing that leadership in this future Tokyo involves not just diplomacy but also taking up arms to protect the city from both internal and external threats. This is all wrapped in a “moe” anime art style and cyber-tech aesthetics.
Tokyo Clanpool blends a futuristic setting where politics and combat merge with strategic dungeon crawling, party management, and customization. The game’s unique premise of political leaders battling to restore Tokyo adds a fresh twist to the traditional RPG formula, making it a favorite among the Japanese audience.
Fans will soon have the chance to experience or revisit the 2017 original on the more successful platforms, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Though no official release date has been confirmed, Eastasiasoft hinted late last month that a formal announcement would be made “soon.” However, for those anticipating the game on PC, it appears that Valve may have blocked its store listing, potentially contributing to the delay for a formal release window.
Valve holds a monopoly over the PC gaming ecosystem, and while it is often seen as one of the least controversial companies in the gaming industry, it still engages in questionable practices that harms both consumers and developers, without warning.
In the case of Tokyo Clanpool, like many Japanese RPGs, the game includes fanservice elements, featuring a cast of cute, short, and attractive anime girls. This, however, seems to be an issue for Valve, who arbitrarily decides to enforce content restrictions whenever it suits them, creating inconsistent standards for what is allowed on their platform.
In Tokyo Clanpool, Ether Sensitivity serves both a narrative purpose and a core gameplay function. It’s closely tied to the game’s fanservice elements, especially through the PS Vita’s touch controls.
Ether Sensitivity refers to the characters’ ability to channel Ether, a powerful energy that influences both their combat abilities and political standing within the game’s world. This mechanic is crucial for enhancing characters’ skills and plays a key role in their progression and customization throughout the game.
The Ether Sensitivity system allows players to perform rituals that “awaken” the latent Seikon (political powers) within the heroines, enhancing their stats, unlocking new abilities, and boosting their combat effectiveness. These rituals take place at the Seikon Research Institute, led by Hanasaki Iroha, where players can utilize various Ether-based upgrades to strengthen their characters.
The PS Vita’s touch mechanic adds an additional layer to the Ether Sensitivity system. To administer Ether, the heroine dons a ceremonial leotard that heats up with each touch, changing color to blend with their skin. While there is no actual nudity, the design intentionally mimics that effect, adding a provocative element to the gameplay.
Due to the shorter stature of some characters in Tokyo Clanpool, certain Western puritans with extreme views might argue that these characters appear “child-like” and, therefore, claim that the game is “sexualizing minors.”
Valve takes these matters very seriously. As the leading gaming storefront for the PC market they try and abide to western social pressure and laws, Valve has repeatedly used its dominant position to target Japanese developers trying to sell and distribute “anime games” on Steam, particularly those featuring sexual content, risqué material, or fanservice elements.
This scrutiny becomes especially harsh when the games include “loli” characters, which activists insist are depictions of real life children.
Valve lacks a consistent standard when it comes to banning games from the Steam store. Recent examples include the removal of YuzuSoft’s visual novel Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT! and the Western-developed visual novel Order Us!, which was pulled just days before its scheduled release.
Over the years, Valve has banned numerous games from its Steam storefront for featuring “loli” characters, which Western activists claim sexualize minors.
Yet, Valve has inconsistently allowed similar games on the platform, often overlooking erotica featuring “child-like” male characters, or “shotas,” as they are known in the medium.
For instance, games like Winter Memories and Summer Memories, which feature such depictions of supposed “underage” characters yet remain available on Steam, while titles like Dungeon Travelers have been banned for containing problematic fanservice CG art, despite its sequel, Dungeon Travelers 2, launching without issue.
The situation was reversed with AliceSoft’s Evenicle series. While the first game was available on Steam for years without any issues, the sequel was ultimately rejected from the store due to its sexual content. This occurred despite Evenicle 2 being considerably less explicit in its handling of strong themes such as rape.
This inconsistent and hypocritical practice has been dubbed the “Waifu Holocaust.” It refers to the banning or delisting of various titles from Steam due to their inclusion of “child-like” characters or school settings, despite Valve’s earlier assurances that they would not act as “taste police.”
While Valve promised not to impose strict content standards, they have continued to ban visual novels and other games, regardless of whether they feature adult content seemingly at random. Meanwhile, other titles that might otherwise face bans are accepted in large numbers. As a result, some games suffer from this erratic enforcement while countless others remain available.
Tokyo Clanpool has recently joined the list of games banned, removed, or delisted from the Steam storefront. Its Steam store URL defaults to the main Steam storefront, indicating that either its listing has either been removed or it was never accepted by Valve for publication in the first place.
This contrasts with YuzuSoft’s Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT!, which had its Steam store page approved but was later removed before the game’s release. Since then, Angelic☆Chaos RE-BOOT! has attempted to be reinstated on Steam but has yet to succeed.
Valve’s review process, which was once touted as lenient towards adult-oriented games, as long as the content wasn’t overtly “trolling” has been one massive lie.
It’s obvious that Valve has significant issues with Japanese games featuring female characters who are petite or short in stature, particularly if these characters are “sexualized,” as seen in Tokyo Clanpool with its Ether Sensitivity mechanic and transformative skin-colored leotard.
The removal of Tokyo Clanpool from Steam underscores the ongoing tensions with Valve’s inconsistent and hypocritical content moderation. Steam continues to struggle with applying its own guidelines fairly and consistently.
As a result, niche titles are frequently delisted seemingly at random, depending on the reviewer, while numerous other games with adult content or fetishistic elements remain available on the platform.
