Hirameki International is testing largely uncharted waters with Animamundi, a Japanese “visual novel” that’s now available in the United States and is, for the first time, available for the Macintosh. It’s part of Hirameki’s “AnimePlay PC” line, and it’s the first Mac-compatible titles from the company. Animamundi costs $39.99.
A gothic horror story aimed primarily at the female audience, according to the publisher, Animamundi’s story takes place in a fictional Eastern European country that’s home to vampires, alchemists, homunculi and the demon Mephistopheles. Count Georik Zaberisk is the story’s central figure — an aristocrat who must immerse himself in the forbidden dark arts to restore the health of his sister.
“Visual novels” aren’t adventure games in the traditional sense. Instead, they’re what the moniker describes — stories that unfold on the screen through a series of still images and occasional Japanese anime-style animation. They’ve been likened to “Choose Your Own Adventure” novels, as viewers can make decisions about how the story unfolds along the way.
Subtitled for English-speaking audiences, Animamundi includes the talents of major Japanese anime voice actors including stars from Fullmetal Alchemist, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Naruto, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Fruits Basket and others.
System requirements call for Mac OS 9.1 or later, including Mac OS X (it runs natively in Mac OS X, as a PowerPC binary).