Front and back of the VTuber industry. Rewind time and overturn the worst ending! Time leap mystery adventure game VIRTUAL ENCORE announced!

“I'll definitely make it the best live show!” Starting from such hot determination, “VIRTUAL ENCORE” is a visual novel game where a manager and talent aim for the stage of dreams set in the VTuber world. The center of the story is Kusunoki Wakaba, a manager working at a VTuber agency, and Kisaragi Mirei, alias Tsukimiya Erika, who is preparing for her first solo live show. Behind gorgeous streaming activities, the two face various problems. Time left until the actual live show is merely 6 days. Can the two really realize the best stage that everyone engraves in their hearts? However, this work seems not to end as a mere success story. A meaningful single sentence “...That was how it should have been.” stirs up imagination for developments starting from now.

Hearing VTuber, you recall fun streamings and gorgeous live shows, don't you? But have you ever thought up to its behind the scenes? What is depicted in this work is days of activities that can never be called smooth sailing. Troubles during streaming, concurrent viewer counts not growing as desired, and light talk of Mirei who cannot be honest, realistic events add color to the story. What is particularly interesting is the point where the story advances from the perspective of the manager supporting her, rather than the talent bathing in the spotlight. In the job supporting an existence shining on the front stage from the shadows, what kind of joys and conflicts are there? Precisely because there are walls that cannot be overcome by feelings wishing for success alone, you come to want to cheer on their challenge.

A 15-second cheer advertisement projected on street visions in Shibuya. The catchphrase “My song crosses dimensions” raised there is somehow impressive. Considering the existence called VTuber, it can also be taken as a wish for songs connecting virtual and reality. However, another meaning might be hidden in these words. In the first place, why is an unsettling lingering memory left in the introduction of the story? From a start like a youth drama aiming for the best live show, in what direction will it advance? Precisely because it is an introduction that dares not to speak much, there is a charm making you want to confirm the continuation.

How to advance the game is simple, being a text adventure format where you click the screen and read through text. However, it is not merely reading through. By choices appearing on the way, it is a mechanism where subsequent stories branch. In other words, decisions of players themselves sway the direction of the story. If you were in Wakaba's position, what words would you say to Mirei? Whether to respect the counterpart's feelings, or make another decision as a manager. Being able to play while imagining such things is also fun unique to choice-based visual novels. Fun trying different choices and searching for differences in developments can also be expected.

Assumed play time is 6 to 8 hours, a volume delightful even for people who want to immerse in the story thoroughly. Furthermore, in addition to 20 event CGs, opening songs are prepared as well. Precisely because it is a work themed on VTubers and music, the existence of opening songs cannot be missed, can it? Where visuals and music coloring impressive scenes tell how feelings of characters are conveyed is a point of concern. Because there is no need to memorize difficult controls and you can concentrate on reading the story, it can be called a work easy to feel familiar with even for people not good at action games.

The charm of “VIRTUAL ENCORE” lies in the story combining the gorgeous VTuber world and efforts of people supporting it. Passion pursuing dreams, reality not going as expected, and relationships of the two. Having branches by choices and mysterious developments added there makes one foresee fun different from a mere road to live show success. In the remaining 6 days, what will Wakaba and Mirei experience? And what meaning will the words “best live show” hold at last? Not to mention people who like VTubers, even for people who like stories carefully following characters' feelings, it is a single title we want you to pay attention to by all means.