Spike Chunsoft and MAGES. are set to launch two romance visual novels, “The Quintessential Quintuplets: Memories of a Quintessential Summer” and “The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You,” digitally for Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch consoles in the west on May 23.
PlayStation Store and Nintendo eShop listings are already live in regions where it is May 16. Additionally, a “Double Pack” featuring both games will be offered.
“The Quintessential Quintuplets,” created by Negi Haruba, is a beloved manga series that follows the story of Futaro Uesugi, a young man tasked with tutoring five sisters who are struggling academically.
As they spend time together, the sisters develop feelings for Futaro, leading to complex and often humorous situations. As both sisters and rivals for Futaro’s affection, they find themselves conflicted about how to navigate their emotions.
The franchise’s popularity has led to multiple seasons of anime adaptations, a feature-length movie, and various games in Japan. Among these are visual novels developed by Mages, which offer expanded narratives and allow players to interact with their favorite sister.
Additionally, there’s the popular mobile puzzle game “The Quintessential Quintuplets: The Quintuplets Can’t Divide the Puzzle” and two additional titles that feature the mobile games contents.
The release timeline for “The Quintessential Quintuplets” games is as follows: “Memories of a Quintessential Summer” debuted on PlayStation 4 and Switch on March 25, 2021, in Japan, followed by “Five Memories Spent With You” on June 2, 2022.
A third installment, “Five Promises Made with Her,” launched on September 7, 2023, in Japan but has yet to make its way to the West, though fingers crossed it eventually will sometime within the next year. Interestingly enough, the third visual novel is actually a game adaptation of the movie.
Although there’s no suggestive material within the games, there’s a chance that Sony could take issue with “The Quintessential Quintuplets” featuring five attractive heroines, potentially leading to complications.
This concern is particularly relevant considering the summer motif in “Memories of a Quintessential Summer,” where Uesugi, his sister, and the quintuplets opt for a vacation on a private island. However, what was intended as a fun getaway becomes complicated when a sudden storm prolongs their stay, providing the perfect excuse for some charming bikini illustrations.
While “Five Memories Spent With You” serves as a direct sequel, portraying the characters embarking on a graduation trip to Okinawa. Players have the opportunity to deepen their bonds with any of the girls instead of strictly adhering to the canonical events.
As a fan of the romcom series, I’m deeply disappointed by the absence of a PC release for these visual novels, especially considering MAGES’ success with “KONOSUBA – God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! Love For These Clothes Of Desire!” on PC despite PQube’s decision to outsource the English translation to a low-rate firm resulted in numerous grammatical errors and botched translations, further frustrating fans.
If a PC release isn’t available, you can still enjoy both titles on the Nintendo Switch. It’s worth noting that the Switch is the only console platform free from benign censorship, unlike Sony’s PlayStation ecosystem.
