The saying “sex sells” is as old as humanity itself, and this strategy is nothing new when it comes to marketing a product to make money. It’s clear that developer Cropware is well aware of this phenomenon, as it has released its new dating sim called Beautiful Sakura: Fitness Club, which mixes adult-oriented anime-style art with very simple gameplay to attract players. They usually don’t try to hide what they’re trying to sell to the player, but they do so while trying to hide the “worst” with a superficial approach so as not to seem too desperate.
As a player, you take on the role of a personal trainer named Kaito, in whose professional context you get to know many attractive girls. However, these relationships quickly escalate into flirtatious and more intimate conversations, accompanied by salacious images of said ladies in numerous seductive poses. Then you can make different decisions every now and then in the dialogue, but overall it’s like a piano playing itself, where you feel more like a spectator than an active participant.
As such, the script and writing quality aren’t the best, and while they quickly lead you to the barely hidden passion that acts as the main plot, most of it feels pretty stiff and lifeless: as if a desperate teenager had written the dialogue while someone else took care of the pictures. Also, in an attempt to sound profound, the obvious sexual theme is mixed with silly comments like “Life is like a wave” or “You have to dare to live and seize every opportunity.” Simply put, it’s like opening one Chinese fortune cookie after another while a quartet of anime girls in tight tracksuits spread across the screen; There may be nothing wrong with it per se, but it doesn’t deserve a good grade either.
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Considering the setup and gameplay are so simple, you’d expect the game to run well technically, but unfortunately that’s not the case, which is extremely embarrassing considering the game’s code probably isn’t more advanced could be more than the typical Power Point presentation. Of course, the adventure is fully playable, but when button presses don’t register or delays and strange options block you from one conversation to the next, you don’t necessarily want to get to the end credits.
I guess what they call “art” is the main selling point, but to be honest it feels like the developer used an AI tool to produce one questionable image after another. It is by no means outstanding in quality or sophistication, and there are probably much cheaper ways to find similar or even better material through a simple internet search.
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Although Beautiful Sakura: Fitness Club is quite affordable, the rating won’t make you any more generous. Sure, if you like visual novels that deal with sensual themes quickly and soullessly, you might have a good time, but it’s clear (not that I know anything about it…) that there are better and cheaper solutions for you are willing to do the research and are not afraid of potentially embarrassing web history. Finally, a positive point is that it is extremely easy to achieve and collect achievements, and this is perhaps something to consider if you want something 100% easy to add to your collection and are looking for at the same time Motivation is to go to the gym. Although, unfortunately, this Lycra-filled fitness club doesn’t have much else to offer.
