I was immediately excited Year: change‘s sleek side-scrolling pixel art and bombastic beat ’em up-inspired action sequences. Yet even these notable highlights pale in comparison to his wonderful portrayal of Ayane, one of the game’s supporting characters, who rises from a mere NPC to the emotional focus of the entire game.
You play as Ann Flores, a cyber combat specialist searching for her kidnapped brother. While she’s more than capable of holding her own in a fight, she doesn’t work alone. By her side (via digital projection) is talkative super genius hacker Ayane Misuno. While Ann’s relationship with Ayane is hinted at even in the demo, the hacker’s adoration for Ann spills over into side missions and boss fights alike in the full game. To my surprise, Ann and Ayane’s bond is an integral part of To change‘s s tory, and it is arguably its most compelling facet.
Your story begins when Ayane Ann sends a communications droid to celebrate her second boyfriend, just as you do. While the droid’s game purpose allows Ann to call Ayane for her hacking know-how, Ayane drops all pretense and tells Ann that her fancy shipping droid is to be closer to her. Be still my beating heart. Whether in the heat of battle or in the middle of a shower, Ayane has Ann’s back! And occasionally border problems.
Continue reading: friendship ended with cyberpunknow Year: change is new best friend
Because Ann is a six Protagonist, meaning she’s the strong and quiet type, it falls to Ayane to not only breathe life into the game with casual remarks about the bizarre world they live in, but also to break down Ann’s stoic armor, making her more appealing protagonist in the process. This is embodied by the couple’s cute animations and their English voice actors’ outstanding singing performances. Whenever Ann and Ayane scenes were flashing on my screen, my eyes would send a boiling hot shot of dopamine to my brain. Their hilariously cute dynamic, sometimes reminiscent of classic comedy duos, could generate enough energy to fuel a small town.
I’d like to take a moment to pat myself on the back for calling the ship between these two from the start I first saw them interact in the demo. While I was only half-joking when I muttered “Oh, they’re gay,” I didn’t realize that ThinkingStars would actually point out that they’re canon in the actual game. I need to search my house for hidden microphones…
The couple’s dialogue lays it on thick. Ayane rarely calls Ann by her name, opting instead for “darling”, usually accompanied by hearts floating above her head. Ann caves in to the pet name when Ayane asks if she’d rather be called “Baby”, “Honey” or “Lover”, proving she has a preference. 👀
Ayane, the prime example she is, goes beyond being your “woman in the chair”. She also acts as Ann’s emotional companion. Whenever a quest-giving NPC asks Ann for a favor, Ayane adopts the player’s frustrated voice. While Ann reluctantly accepts missions, Ayane chimes in for her, calling out the NPCs’ distracting selfish desires. If Ann didn’t want pickles on her burger, you best believe Ayane would give hell. Whenever push came to shove To changeAyane flew in like a cool summer breeze, bringing moments of welcome lightness to the game.
No matter how often To change kicked my ass, i kept coming back. That dedication wasn’t based solely on my journalistic duty to finish the game, let alone my wounded pride. No, I marched on just to hear Ayane’s solemn banter. When conquests occur To change
Ayane doesn’t just shine during To changeMain Story of : Her charisma is so strong that it spilled over into side quests and caused me to become interested in characters I wouldn’t otherwise care about. Case in point: the moment we were walking past a street concert and Ayane mentioned that she would like to know the secret identity of a virtual singing idol, I put the brakes on Ann’s quest to rescue her kidnapped brother.
I know this makes me sound heartless, but listen to me. Everything I know about Ann’s brother comes from a few random archived codices and voiceovers. Ayane, on the other hand, went to war at my side. She went through my journey Year: change‘s cyberpunk dystopia a constant delight simply by the power of charisma. No bad feelings towards Ann’s brother, but Ayane is built differently, and when I’m on the mean streets Year: change, their needs come first. Try the game yourself and you will understand where I come from.
