As with its predecessor, in Lightning Warrior Raidy II you portray the wandering swordswoman Raidy, who travels the continent of Els in search of the secrets of her past and her mysterious powers. As the game begins, Raidy’s travels have taken her to the town of Lake Blue – which following a short introduction, you’ll be able to explore:

As a traveler exhausted from a week long trek across the desert your options for exploration will initially be limited. As the plot unfolds, however, more and more of the town and its surrounding wilderness will become available to engage in commerce, find tips on your current mission, or explore for treasure and glory. Points of interest on the map outside the town will be revealed as they’re discovered through finding clues and tips throughout the game world and the plot.

When you enter your first dungeon you’ll notice several advances from the play system of the original Lightning Warrior Raidy. Most immediately apparent is the minimap display, which can be toggled on and off and now dynamically displays areas of the level that you have explored. While out of combat you can check your inventory and quest items, use potions or a handy ‘Return Stone’ to return you to town, and browse Raidy’s status screen to pick the best gear for the task at hand.

In combat, you’ll find a new level of strategy available through the upgraded version of Raidy’s classic Thunder Slash attack. Charging the lightning energy around Raidy from round to round will build a powerful magic field, enabling Raidy to unleash crackling doom upon her foes – at higher levels, unlock additional ranks of the skill including the mighty Ecstasy slash! Additional layers of strategy are added in the choice between sword and shield and dual weapon fighting styles, and balancing weapon speed, power, and accuracy for the most effective combination against various foes.

Raidy II wouldn’t be a classic PC RPG without its host of interactive puzzle-solving elements. From hidden doors to secret rooms to treasure chests that Raidy can unlock at her peril, to using her wiles, beauty, sex appeal and occasionally a fat purse of gold to get the information or items she needs to advance, the dungeons and towns of Els are full of peril and the potential for great rewards should you unravel their mysteries.

Last but not least – the ero! It wouldn’t be Raidy if we didn’t mention the classic “sex if you win, sex if you lose” gameplay, but in Raidy 2 her amorous encounters don’t stop there. Our brave heroine must bear the advances of yuri innkeepers, lecherous swords, horny mercenaries, grateful captives, the whole cast of kinky monstergirl bosses from Raidy 1, and that’s just barely scratching the surface. Many of the scenes in Raidy 2 feature full frame animation as well, a generational leap forward that’s bound to please.

Still not convinced?

With hundreds of pieces of original CG artwork, 70+ erotic scenes, over two dozen named characters and 40+ wandering monsters,  Raidy II is one of the largest games we’ve produced to date. Hours of fun ero-RPG gameplay await those choosing to accompany our heroine deep into the Temple of Desire!

Lightning Warrior Raidy II is scheduled to ship in both package and download editions at the end of June, with free shipping on all preorders placed before the game is released.

Holiday-themed bishoujo games are a pretty small genre; far more common are fuyuge, or winter themed games (examples include G-Collections’ Snow Sakura and Peach Princess’s Snow Drop). When Christmas appears in them, as in anime, it’s typically in the context of exchanging presents, and maybe a tradition fabricated for the event (Love Hina Christmas Special, anyone?).

Despite this there are certain Japanese traditions associated with the holiday: Christmas cake, fried chicken, and the Santa suit together form the three arms of the holy trinity of Japanese winter holiday icons. In recent years, a new otaku tradition has sprung up as well – spending Christmas evening with ones’ favorite 2D girl.

Do you have any memories, traditions, or experiences you associate with bishoujo games in the winter holiday season? Comments are below!

Bishoujo Topics begins a series of columns where we discuss themes found in the Japanese bishoujo universe, as well as issues in the visual novel industry. Comments and suggestions for future topics are welcome!